


Sins of the father, Sins of the Son

by herpb4uderp



Series: Affair [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Adult Language, Angst, Complicated Relationships, Dark, Dialogue Heavy, Divisive main character, Dreams vs. Reality, Emotional Manipulation, Everyone is of age, Gaslighting, Gets worse before it gets better, M/M, Manipulation, Mistaken Identity, One sided, Psychological Drama, Psychological Manipulation, Sociopaths, Violence, but there's no love, character disapearance, everyone is making bad decisions, goten is an unreliable narrator, head games, i would call it a love triangle, ki manipulation, moral conflict, not sure how to tag a dynamic like this, there is a lot of manipulation, vindictive character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-02-17 16:28:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 120,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13080780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herpb4uderp/pseuds/herpb4uderp
Summary: Bulma's death hit every one hard, Goku's sudden disappearance certainly didn't help. Now, left in a world feeling alone and disconnected, with the only tie to his Saiyan roots being the most impossible person to deal with, Goten tries to navigate through a series of impulsive decisions that take his life, and everyone else's, from bad to worse.This work is " " complete " " but it is also a heinous rough draft riddled with things that I hate like errors. and inconsistencies. and not enough smu- Anyway, it is currently being reposted on AFF and FFN where it is undergoing a //massive// editing overhaul that is lengthening it by a god awful amount and being properly synthesized with it's other parts, "affair" and "sickness" and several scenes I had previously chosen not to post here, under the title 'Like Father Like Son.'  SO if you actually LIKE this dark horrible trash and want even MOOREE I highly recommend you check it out there. ^^





	1. Past & Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor timeline clarification: Chapter one here is roughly 7-8 years post Cell saga under the assumption that Goku decided not to stay dead. There is no buu saga. After chapter 1 story picks up roughly 15 years later and ages are as follows: Goten 23, Trunks 24, Pan 20, Bra 18, Gohan ~late 30s

Bulma's death was sudden but not surprising. She was a risk taker, a hard charger, but she was getting older. Regardless, everyone agreed it was still far too soon. She was hardly past middle age. Not yet completely grey, contributing daily to the world around her as a revered scientist. Death and sickness claimed her all the same.

  
Her husband stands at the podium. He looks around, knowing he's supposed to say something. He knew his wife was famous, beautiful, desirable, even at her age, brilliant, a pioneer; truly to the end, she had been royalty of this planet. But he had never expected this many people. Most of them he doesn't know except for the front row which is reserved for family and her closest oldest friends. He spots Chi Chi among them. She sits alone. _He didn't come?_ He tenses and begins to power up as he searches the pews for him, each turning up empty. He doesn't mean for the air to crackle around him, but emotion is quickly over powering rational thought. His head snaps down in anguish. The wooden podium begins to splinter beneath his fingertips. A hardly audible muffled, "Fuck" echos from the mic. A ten year old Trunks musters the strength, with Gohan and Goten's help, to pull his father off stage to mourn in his Saiyan way, somewhere else.

Hours later, everyone is gone. The memorial is over. The kids are in bed. Vegeta is quiet, composed, standing in front of the coffee machine, counting each drop. Vegeta senses him enter the room but doesn't turn.

"Where were you?" He asks solemnly.

"I was training."

"You missed her funeral to train?" He carefully punctuates each word as the the counter cracks under his grip and his composure begins to crumble. "Training!?" He roars, "It's a funeral! Bulma's funeral! What about your kids? Your friends? They needed you! Fuck! I-" he stops himself and closes his eyes exhaling sharply,  "She was your childhood friend for Kamisake!" He whips around with a furious glare burning holes through Goku's thick skull.

"She and I grew apart years ago. You know that." he struggled to meet Vegeta's gaze, "I- I didn't think it was right...because of..." The silence was deafening. Vegeta's eyes searched Goku's for some shred of regret but he had never been good at reading others.

"You're right, you didn't think. How can I be mad at you for doing something so-" he gestured rudely at Goku's face, "so typically 'Goku'! Always the lovable idiot! Aren't you Kakarot?"

"Hey! That's not fair, how did you expect me to react?!" Vegeta could only respond with a frustrated sound caught half way between exasperation and rage. "When was the last time you talked to her about something other than improving your training, anyway?!"

"h- How dare you! You have no idea what she meant to me! She was my wife! My- m-"

"So!? what am I?"

"What are-? Oh fuck you! We're not having this conversation right now." He turned back towards his coffee.

"Then when?"

"Never!"

"Great." His anger was met by stone silence, "Fine. It'll only be a matter of time before you come running back to me for a spar anyway to _improve your training_ since Bulma won't be able to do it for you anymore." He spat venomously.

  
The sound of skin on skin resounded through the building. If he had been human he would have gone through the wall of the house. But he was a saiyan. He stood still as a statue except for his head which was now cocked sharply to the right. His eyes stung, not from the pain, but the regret, all the strange angry feelings this conversation, this day, this whole week, had created inside him. He didn't meet Vegeta's dark hateful stare. He couldn't. He didn't want to acknowledge the pain he knew was there. If there was pain, it meant he missed her. If he missed her, it meant he loved her. If he loved her...

They never talked about their lives at home. He always worried he had been just a convenience. He wondered if things were great at CC and Vegeta was just living the best of both worlds, when Goku couldn't seem to get the best of one. He worried he was just someone strong who could take the rougher fight fueled fucks they both needed so badly. He worried it was superficial. He constantly wondered if Vegeta felt the same way, when they woke up next to each other: satisfied, content, if a little sore, and warm. Or if he didn't feel at all.

 _Ahh!_ He didn't care about the damage. Capsule Corp could afford it. He didn't care that he had to blast through four floors. He left so fast, so angry, so confused. He could hear Vegeta shouting angrily, furiously, after him, but he didn't follow. He didn't want to, probably. And so Goku didn't come back.

Neither of them knew there was a small eight year old woken up by the raised voices. They were too wrapped up in their anger to notice his ki, his small half saiyan spikes peeking behind the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. He didn't understand then what was happening and so at first he blamed Vegeta for his father leaving. He hated him. But never as much as he hated his father for not returning. For a year Vegeta let little Goten take out his frustration on him. When he came looking for a fight, which was often, Vegeta didn't hit back. But eventually, he had enough. The fight became a beating, the beating turned to training, the training became routine.

  
It is a surprise to everyone, and comes as a huge relief to Chi Chi, how easily Vegeta steps into the sole parent role. It becomes more frequent when Vegeta goes to wake Trunks for school, he finds Goten there as well. It is more often than not that he must ask Mrs. Briefs to cook for one more and Chi Chi often quietly thanks Vegeta for all the things he has done that _he_ never did.

"It's great isn't it?" She sits across from him at the kitchen table.

"Hm?" He stares into the coffee he has let sit too long.

"That they've found such good friends in each other." He sees their kids through the window outside doing Kami-Knows-what with the biggest smiles he's ever seen, "Yes. It is." He sees but isn't looking, his mind is else where.

"Do you ever talk with them about..." she can't bring herself to say his name. She' still so hurt he hasn't come back, that he never told her he was leaving in the first place. She suspects Vegeta threatened him, fought with him. Something like that. She knows he was angry at him for missing the funeral. _Strange_ , she thinks, _how he adapted to earth and it's customs. In the end, it was Goku who left._

"No." he meets her sad eyes. "I don't."

Goten is twelve when Trunks finds him staring in the bathroom mirror with scissors in his hands and quiet tears streaming down his cheeks. He has been showing up at capsule corps unannounced for years but the last few months he stays for long periods of times. Chi Chi has been calling non stop, already a nervous wreck when he leaves for a few hours. She says he's missing school, he's getting in to fights. At home too. She asks Vegeta to stop training him but he refuses, says it'll make it worse. After a quiet heated argument she reluctantly agrees, but Goten hardly improves. So there he stands trying to hold back the pain.

"My mother- she- She hates me." He says softly.

"What?"

"She says I look just like him, all the time - she says I love fighting too much-" he lets out a quite sob, "she doesn't want me to train, she doesn't want me to leave, I just remind her of my father but I'm- I'm not him, I'm nothing like him! I hate him!" Trunks stands next to him in the mirror and consoles his closest friend.

It's the hair. He knows it. It doesn't grow like Trunks' and Gohan's. _I must be more saiyan than them..._ He supposes. Regardless, each spike is exactly the same as his father's and his father before him. He stands there in the bathroom with a shiny set of shears contemplating how he should cut it (because Kami-knows he doesn't trust anyone else with his hair, not even his mother) until Trunks convinces him instead to start tying it back. And so he does, because Trunks is right, if he screws up it'll never grow back. Hardly anyone tells him how much he looks like his father now. He is a new man. Reborn. Chi Chi doesn't cry as often, doesn't constantly remind him that he is the mirror image of the person he hates most. Vegeta scowls less at him, but doesn't lighten up on the training.

  
He is fifteen when he figures out for sure that he isn't quite cut out like Trunks and Gohan. Maybe he's always known. Sometimes he admired Trunks a little more than a friend would. He is sixteen when he tells his best friend, who takes the news well, _although,_ he thinks to himself,  _I'd_ _be lying if I said I didn't secretly hope Trunks was the same way_. Trunks wastes no time showing him all kinds of apps that can help him find people like himself. Trunks' arrogant confidence is straight from his father.  But underneath there has always been a softer more brilliant nature inherited from his mother, and Goten is immensely grateful for it.

  
Because he is the only one who has kept up training religiously, by the time he reaches his twenties, Goten is far stronger than the other halves. Years of scheming and trouble making with the heir to the biggest richest company in the world has made him sharp too, much sharper than his father could have hoped to be (so everyone says), and a little bit mischievous, though that could always be the oozaru in him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always felt Goten and Goku's glaring similarities would be fun to take advantage of in a fic, but I've never seen any that incorporate it. So here goes nothing.
> 
> Let me know if ya'll like it! And what errors I can fix.


	2. Fever Dream

  
It's hot out today, one of the hottest days of the summer but Vegeta still insists on sparring in the vent-less gravity chamber. "Environmental Challenge" he calls it. _Uhg, and I've been having such a bad week already, why not top it off with a miserable training session._ He narrowly missed the elbow flying at his face.

"You're not even trying today."

Goten shook out his arms and retook his stance, "I'm ready."

Vegeta was simply stone faced and waited for him to make a move. But Goten couldn't get his mind off the failure of a week he had. At this point, he no longer lies to himself about how more and more often his training sessions with Vegeta are just an outlet for pent up sexual frustration. _It's so difficult to find a partner strong enough_. He wonders how Vegeta, Gohan, Goku and Trunks are able to do it with soft women, when even the Gym rats he finds seem to break under the slightest miscalculation of his own strength. He is too distracted for the speed of the left hook and it connects with his jaw sending him reeling across the room. He slumps against the wall and rubs at the already bruising mark on his face.

"We'll continue this when you're serious." Vegeta was already turning down the controls. The gravity lifted and the lights came back on.

"No, no I can- I need to figh-"

"You can not. You are sloppy and unfocused. Come back when you are ready to fight."

"Vegeta, I need this, I'm so- I need to work out."

"Then go do that! But do not waste my time with a spar you can not commit to." He turned back towards the controls and the room hummed as it shut down fully.

  
_Asshole._ Vegeta was always like this, since Goten could remember. A complete tight ass. No slack, no room for error. He never put up with anything being half-assed, not even with Trunks. In fact he was quite sure the only person who could confidently claim any real-estate in his heart at this point was his mess of a daughter who Goten felt was by far the least deserving.

Goten watched the somewhat prissy body language as Vegeta messed with the controls. He couldn't deny the shorts that hung tight and low on his waist, which was ever so slightly cocked to one side, had tempted him more than once; that his eyes had wandered south when ever his back was turned. Vegeta wouldn't be his first choice, _because let's face it, the guy's emotionally stunted,_ but he was also strong and... handsome. Sometimes if you looked closely he even had these amusing flamboyant hand gestures. In fact if it wasn't for Trunks and Bra, he would have questioned the man's taste, but he supposed he was just... alien. _Shame._

  
"Why are you still here? I can hear you breathing and it's annoying." Goten rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair displacing a few hairs from the tight string that held it all back.

"You're hardly better than Trunks. If you really want to get better you would train every day."

He snorted, "Yeah well, we don't all have all day. I have classes, I have other things to do you know, I'm only half Saiyan."

"You're as Saiyan as you choose to be. Just look at your brother." He meant it as an insult.

_Fair point._

"You've lost sight of whatever it was that you've been training for. I can sense it. You force yourself to train. You don't want to be here and it shows in your performance."

"I haven't lost sight."

"You have."

"I'm not losing sight of my goal."

"You are distracted all the same."

"I just- how do I... How do you control it? Our power? Have you never hurt Trunks or Bra by accident?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"I- it's not that I don't want to get stronger, I need- I want to learn how to control what I already have better. In the-" _heat of the moment,_ "sometimes if I'm not paying attention... I break glasses... plates. I just can't seem to-" _find a way to take the edge off lately,_ "under stress- it's difficult to control. I just wonder how you do it."

"Training"

Goten rolled his eyes again, "Of course."

"I can work on building more control based routines for you."

"Yeah, sure."

Vegeta nodded then swiftly exited. _You know, people would like you more if you weren't so robotic and removed._ He watched him leave, the subtle sway to his hips, the sweat glistening down his back. A wave of heat hit him, w _hy do I always feel this way after fighting, sparring, working out... fuck! I just want to jump the first thing I see..._ He found his phone among his gear and began swiping through until he found a muscle bound build that looked like it could handle him.

 

\----

 

A few unsatisfying hours later he finds himself wandering back to the Capsule Corp doorstep looking for Trunks and before long they are slaying each other in smash and drinking their way through the large and expensive stock Bulma used to keep for corporate parties. _It never seems to go dry. Someone's restocking this. Maybe Vegeta does drink when no one's looking._

"Ah, damn!  No no!" Goten started smashing buttons to save his character until there was a cracking sound between his fingers.

"Shit, Goten. Not again."

"Huh?" His eyes followed Trunks' to the pieces of plastic in his hands. He closed his eyes and exhaled, "Sorry."

"I mean, it's not that I can't afford it." he exed out of the game and turned off the screen, "but shit, 'ten, we'll have to start buying in bulk." he laughed. Goten got up and threw the pieces away into the trash.

"Don't get me wrong, I break my fair share of glasses, but you're wound tighter than a spring these days."

Goten slumped back on the couch with a new drink. "How do you do it?"

"What, beat your ass in smash? practice, ha."

"No, I mean... with people" he buried his head into his hand, "I can't get a good lay without hurting the person I'm with lately, I'm I- I'm losing my mind Trunks!"

"Woah, woah, woah, ok hold on. Where's this coming from?"

"I just- I am wound up! Nothing I do lately helps."

"Heh, you mean no one?"

He huffed and admitted defeat, "Exactly."

"The internet is a vast place 'Ten. I'm sure there's people out there looking for a rough-"

"Yeah but c'mon, no one's looking for a broken hip."

"That bad?"

"Yeah."

"Well.... have you tried... just... you know?"

"What?"

"Letting the other person do all the work?"

"Just lay there like a mattress?" _It's not enough!_

"Oh ok, when you put it like that- it sounds terrible, but let's be real, when ever I fuck regular girls, I have to let them do most of the work. I've never hurt anyone too bad, but I guess if I'm honest none of them can take it like Pan can, ha. She's so fucking crazy."

"Gross dude, she's my niece." He downed the rest of his glass.

"Yea, I'm sorry there aren't any of us half-Saiyans for you. In another universe I bet we would've been the dream team, huh?" he started laughing, "Oh, couldn't you just picture my father's face?!"

He let out a snort of laughter, "You're not my type."

"What?" he pretended to sulk, "you don't like purple?"

"Na, you're too skinny"

"You know" he prodded Goten, "I've always noticed you have a thing for dark hair and big shoulders."

"Oh shut up, Trunks."

They sat in silence for a moment, "Maybe you should talk to my dad. I mean, he's probably got the most exp-"

"All of the money in Capsule Corp couldn't make me talk to Vegeta about my sex life."

"Hm." he looked deeply into the alcohol, searching it for the advice only a best friend could offer, "Does he even know that you swing for the same team?"

"Who knows. Probably not. He only talks about training. I feel like, if he doesn't know by now, he'll never find out."

Trunks kept looking into his glass with a sad smile, "You remember when he would tell us about Saiyan culture?"

"Sort of." _You mean before your mom died and my dad disappeared?_

"They reminded me of the Spartans." The purple haired half saiyan cocked his head and smiled, "The Greeks didn't care much about the whole... man love thing. So maybe Saiyans don't either."

"I'll think about it."

"I mean, you could always talk to Gohan but-" he paused, and they both started laughing, picturing the bookish professor struggling to give scholarly advice on sex.

"ah shit, is that late already? I gotta get some shut eye 'ten." he got up and stretched. "Meetings to attend, people to please, company to run-"

"Better you than me."

"Ha, well there's always an opening if you're interested."

"I'm not interested in being private security." _Or being a test subject for your weapons department again._

Trunks started up stairs, "the offer still stands" he says between yawns and disappears into the hall above them.

He shook his head, took Trunks' controller and played fighting games until he passed out from alcohol induced exhaustion.

 

\-----

 

It is barely a few days later and Vegeta is taunting him again. And oh, Kami how he hated it. The only time Vegeta talked about anything that mattered was when he was trying to get him riled up and Goten couldn't fucking stand it.

He had agreed to spar on the condition that Goten would actually 'put in effort' this time. But it was quickly becoming clear to everyone involved that just wasn't going to happen.

"Come on brat! You are weak! I was wiping out planets at your age and you can barely land a hit!"

He let out an angry grunt and lunged at Vegeta who dodges easily.

"How do you plan to defeat your enemies, if you are blinded by anger?"

Another angry punch dodged.

"If you ever want to defeat your fath-" This time his fist connected knocking Vegeta off balance.

"Defeat my father?! And what makes you so sure that's what I'm training for? That's what you trained for! I'm training to defeat you!" Goten snapped and broke stance. Vegeta looked taken aback, but Goten continued, "Besides, he's never coming back! There's no point in training for something that'll never-" he stops himself, "It's been almost 15 years! I mean- Can you even sense him? I can't! He's probably dead!" he lets out an exasperated huff of air.

"He's not dead. He doesn't want to be found."

"And you just accept that?"

"What do you care!?" Vegeta shouted much louder and angrier than he intended. He slaps a towel over his neck and shut off the gravity. 400x suddenly lifted itself off of the younger Saiyan's exhausted frame.

"I just- I don't know. What do _you_ care? You're worse than my mother and she doesn't talk to me about him at all except to remind me that I still look like him. With you it's just training this training that, your father is a third class clown and so are you- Fuck! When's the last time you've talked with anyone about _anything_ other than training without insulting them?!"

"That's all most people are worthy of. Especially you, brat."

"Oh, really? That's why you devote so much time to training me, right? because I'm fun to provoke? Not because no one else will train with you, not because you're fucking impossible to be around for more than five minutes!?" he was going to get hit for this and he knew it, but it finally felt good to let off some steam; they hadn't argued in a while, "Didn't you have a do or die rivalry with him? Everyone says you were damn near obsessed with him, but you refuse to talk about him or anything for that matter unless you're trying to get in an easy hit! Don't you think I want to know more? Did you ever stop to think that always telling me my father was 'an idiot run-away third class worth no one's time' just isn't going to cut it anymore? Maybe that's why I'm distracted! Maybe that's why I'm 'losing sight!'" He pauses to try and see if anything he's saying is sinking in, oh he was definitely getting hit for this, "You've followed him out into space before, you've fought him damn near to death, and then what? Didn't you two pretty much become galactic superheros together? But all you do is curse his name and have competitions with me about who hates him more, so I-"

He saw only a blur before he was smashed brutally into the wall behind him. Vegeta's fist was curled into his shirt and he was damn near snarling into his face.

"I have nothing to talk about with Kakarot's brat!" He moved to slam his fist into the half saiyan's face but was met only with cold steel. Goten had already wrenched himself free from Vegeta's grip and made it half way across the room before Karma caught up and a foot connected with his head sending him face first into the floor. Blood started running out of his nose. He barely managed to turn over before being pinned by the full Saiyan. There was now a knee on either side of his hips, one hand pressing his shoulder so hard he was sure it would pop out of its socket. He had a good opening to his jaw but he didn't think about that. He didn't even think about the small bright ball of ki wavering in Vegeta's other hand, or the low pitched growl emanating from the Saiyan's chest. All he could suddenly think about was the part of him getting excited by all this. _Why would my dick choose now of all moments to get this fucking hard?_

  
All the anger suddenly drained from Vegeta's face and was quickly replaced with awkward discomfort as he shifted very slightly on top of Goten away from the hardening member resting between his opponent's legs. Then there was a sudden shocked recognition in his eyes. Goten's face felt like it had caught on fire and turned as red as the blood streaming from his nose. The Ki flickered out of existence. Vegeta shot up and reclaimed his stoic mask. The only hint that something was off was the slightest flush on his cheeks lingering from the fight, or maybe it was embarrassment, the expression itself wouldn't say.

  
"I think" he shifted uneasily, "you need to cool off."

"Uh, yeah." Goten sat up and stared down at his loose grey shorts. "Yeah I'll just..." He had never found himself out of a training session so fast. He flopped onto a guest bed in a part of Capsule corps far removed from Vegeta, and Trunks for that matter. He wasn't ready to face any living soul right now. He even lowered his Ki as much as he could manage and stood underneath the cold water blasting from the shower. _Well, that's one way to come out._ He leaned against the wall and slid down to rest on his heels. _How am I ever going to spar with him again? How am I ever going to show my face here again?!_

"Aahhh!"

He dries off, throws on a loose pair of sweatpants and collapses on to the bed vowing to sleep for the next fifty years.

 

\-----

 

It's dark when he awakes. Early morning he guesses. He moves quietly along the halls with his ki suppressed in search of food. He feels out the other energy in the houses. Trunks is still sleeping. Calm easy waves of Ki rolling off him. Vegeta's is brighter though, erratic, jumping up and down, _he's awake?_ Not that it would surprise him. He wakes up earlier than any sane person should just to get a few extra hours of training in but still, it usually wasn't thrumming excitedly like this.

He walked by his door on the way to the kitchen and hesitated. He thought about apologizing. He thought about a hundred things he could say to try and explain the gravity room incident. He cheeks burned red hot just thinking about it. He had raised his hand to knock but hesitated and began to walk away until he heard a soft noise from the behind the closed door. _I know what they say... what curiosity did to the cat, but..._ There was really no way to rationalize pressing his ear to the door. His odd ki had already peaked his interest and it happened before he could think better of it. He doesn't know what he expected, but it sure as hell wasn't panting. He freezes. The breathing behind the door is ragged and his attention is seized by a quiet moan.

His body reacts before his mind and he finds himself pressed against the door, leaning into the cool surface. _I_ _s he_ _....?_ he listens a little longer just to confirm his suspicion _. He is!_ _He isn't a robot after all._ His mischievous smile falters when he hears it the first time but it isn't until he hears it again that he realizes exactly what Vegeta's saying.

"What?" he whispers quietly in disbelief, and shakes his head, just to make sure his ears are working.

Without a sound he turns the brass nob. Wordlessly, he cracks the door so he could get a better read on the Ki behind it. He's sure he has misheard. The door is hardly open enough for light but the heady smell of Vegeta's sweat easily finds it's way from the hot stuffy room to Goten's keen senses.

It's beautiful and desperate, the disaster that is Vegeta in the early hours of the morning. Goten has never seen someone make him so hot so fast without effort. The stark white sheets almost glow in the moonlight streaming in from the blinds. They cling to the scarred damp skin on his legs and thighs. His exposed back and torso is arched, hips and shoulders pressed deep into the bed, the knuckles on his left hand are white from clutching what cloth is left around him so tightly, the other is between his legs. His face is tense, almost pained with an expression Goten has never seen on the full Saiyan's face; all of his body is screaming with agonizing desire. And through all of it he is panting his father's name like a mantra that will save him from death.

  
Then it is all gone. Vegeta is completely rigid for a moment and it is gone. He is lying on the bed, palms relaxed, sweating profusely, slowing heartbeat, calmer ki, and Goten realizes he has woken up and he has finished. Vegeta pulls himself up slowly while letting out a long exhale. Goten doesn't stay long enough to risk getting caught. He doesn't stay to see him wrap his arms around his bent knees and sigh. He doesn't stay to hear him say "Fuck you, Kakarot" without any hatred. He runs back to his side of the compound only to hear the same question repeating over and over in his head until he is able to force himself back to sleep for a few hours. "He was dreaming like that... about my father?"


	3. Plan

_The memory of my father leaving makes a lot more sense now._

He lies on his bed wide awake at not quite five. An old memory keeps replaying in his head. He was so young, he can't remember what they were fighting about in the kitchen all those years ago. He can remember they were loud, he remembers their expressions. He didn't recognize what they were then. He didn't understand the pain and hatred. But he knew the anger in Vegeta's eyes well enough. _Just like a villain,_ that's what his eight year old self was thinking then. He was expecting them to fight, like they always did. And he was ready to jump to his father's aid, like he always did when they trained. But it never happened. Goku blasted off without another word and that was that. He remembers watching quietly as Vegeta broke down for the second time that day, that time silent and alone.

As he replays it, more of it comes to life. The expressions more vivid, their tones more clear, and it eats at him; wondering just what they were arguing about on the day of Bulma's funeral. His father hadn't been right since they got the news. Distant and somewhat flighty, constantly finding reasons to leave Mount Paozu... but it didn't make sense, they had families, they had kids... _Face it, the evidence is irrefutable, you saw what he was doing, you heard him panting your father's na-_ His eyes snap open and he remembers how often his father and Vegeta would leave together to fight the Universe's 'evils'... The more he tried to push the idea from his mind, the more sure it seemed. It all made sense. Their "rivalry", their constant "training," blasting off into space together every chance they got, the mutual obsession, the fight, his sudden departure. The two most powerful beings in the galaxy, the two last remaining Saiyans... it made... sense. Though he is having trouble reconciling this with the knowledge that his mother loved Goku _until he left_ and Vegeta did love Bulma; if how he spoiled his insane mess of a daughter who looks just like her was any indication _. Maybe it was a power thing for them. Or maybe I'm wrong._ And yet here he is, insulting him during the day and pining for him in his sleep, like some love-sick teenager. _Can't get over that he left you, huh?_ Goten couldn't help but smile. _Serves you right._

He rolled over and wondered if this meant he could finally get the lay he desperately needed. It was comforting to not be the only one, _but why did it have to be Vegeta? He's so straight laced you'd think he'd suffocate._ He grit his teeth and thought about different ways to try and seduce him, _maybe a few more accidents like yesterday and he'd get the message; Maybe I should be straight forward, ask him._ Seemed like a long shot though. Vegeta was never much interested in anything other than fighting and apparently _Kakarot._

 

\----

 

It has been a week and Vegeta is able to look him in the eye again so they have continued their routine training. He never brings up what happened and seems more hesitant than ever to have any kind of physical contact with the half Saiyan even if it is just an exchange of blows. _He's not going to give me a chance at this rate,_ Goten huffs to himself. The older saiyan hardly utters a word while adjusting the bots, but he has kept his promise and built a precision and accuracy based program to better hone control and force.

Goten is in the gravity room alone while Vegeta watches from a monitor to pinpoint weaknesses. _The brat is careful. More than usual. Something has changed_ and grudgingly, Vegeta admits it is a positive change. Goten has learned quickly brute force is not an option. A hit too hard triggers a very painful shock-wave instead of destruction. It is a difficult task, trying to disable them without destroying them. At first. After a couple hours he was getting the hang of it. As Vegeta watched the increasingly perfect executions over the monitors he seethes with anger. He'd never let the damn brat know, but he hated it. He hated that all the Son's were bottomless pits of Ki and talent. He hated that it had been Kakarat's son who turned out most Saiyan of their children. He hated that he was still forced to look into the eyes of his rival every day, because _fuck! They're so damned similar! That same deceiving naivety. That same infuriating smile. Ahg! It just reminds me how much I-_ He shut off the monitors and storms out of Bulma's old lab towards the gravity chamber. No matter how much he trained the halfwit, he'd never have his old sparring partner back. Seeing his spitting image everywhere wasn't just irritating these days, it was downright _painful._  

There is no warning. Vegeta throws open the door with the full intention of disrupting Goten's training program in order to throw in a more difficult opponent. But he doesn't enter, he stops dead in the door way.

Goten feels a loud and sporadic Ki all but crash through the gravity room. The pressure shuts off sending him straight to the floor with a thud. _No need to announce yourself._ He adjusts to finish the last droid then lands to his feet without turning to face the intruder. He can't manage to wipe the smirk off his face yet. He knows by the deafening silence he has gotten the exact reaction he wanted.

"K-Kakarot?" Vegeta's voice comes out in a shocked stuttering whisper. He knows it's not. He knows it's the third class's son.

When Goten turns, he almost regrets snapping the band out from his hair. He had done it as soon as he felt Vegeta's Ki move from the lab, knowing full well he intended to come here and upend this training program. He almost regrets it because for the first time since Bulma's death he sees Vegeta's normal scowl lost to confusion and hurt.

Goten forces a familiar congenial smile, "Trying to catch me off guard again, huh?"

Vegeta's mouth is still slightly open in as much shock as his tight angry expressions can manage. "You look-"

"Hm?" He tried to looked surprised. Like he hadn't heard his father's name clear as day; like he didn't anticipate letting his hair loose would have this kind of effect.

"You look just like-" _When was the last time I've seen him with his hair out like that? six? seven years? He was just a boy, but now_ \- 'Similar' didn't quite cut it this time. Identical, more like. Until he opened his mouth to speak.

"Just like my father, I know. Everyone tells me. That's why I try to keep it up. Sometimes training doesn't let me." he rolls his eyes and throws the snapped band to the ground, "Are you here to fight or reminisce?"

Vegeta hesitantly takes a stance. _Just like Kakarot-_ The door closes, the pressure turns back on. Goten smiles that odd smile he gets when he knows it'll be a bloodbath.

 

\-----

 

He still can't believe it. _He called me my father's name!_ He soaks in his victory, not that he won the fight - _though it had been close_ \- Vegeta's reaction was perfect, better than perfect. He knew he looked like his father, everyone told him. But it had been a long time. He had to reconfirm. Had to see just what kind of effect it had. _He fought murderously, with little technique and a lot of violence._

Goten is smirking at Vegeta who looms over him with hate and _something else_. Goten had never seen him fight like that. Like a completely different opponent; Like he lived for the battle, though there were moments the full Saiyan anticipated with lightening speed a fist that wasn't there, a kick that never landed. Lucky for the Half it allowed a few openings. He had been close to winning. So close. Vegeta had been thoroughly distracted despite his ferocity. And so, without realizing it and with brutal force, Vegeta had confirmed everything Goten suspected.

Vegeta hovers over Goten, blood dripping from his head to the cool floor. He has the half's wrists pinned and he is panting, leaning ever so slightly into Goten's neck all while silently declaring himself the winner. He lingers for a moment staring at Goten's flushed expression. Vegeta wonders for a moment if he has finally willed his dreams into reality. Goten can feel his heart beating against his chest, they are so close, the hot air between them becoming impossibly hotter until the full Saiyan internally reminds himself for the hundredth time during their spar that his opponent is not Kakarot. As quickly as the moment lasted it is gone. Vegeta is already at the controls, shutting the room down.

With a tense flamboyant posture he tersely mentions to Goten things he should improve. Goten wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth and watches the older Saiyan's frustrated and clearly distracted attempts to analyze their spar.

"I'll work on it." _This will be easier than I thought._ He shivers with anticipation, _I'm going to fuck Vegeta. No. I'm going to hatefuck him... for all those brutal training sessions... for everything insult he's thrown at me to try and get the underhand._

He stops talking and turns to his rival's lookalike, "what?"

"I'll work on it. I have to go." He gets up, still smirking, and saunters out the door with an unusually calm air for someone who'd just lost.

Vegeta watches with a furrowed brow. "Tch. Damn brat. Doesn't even care if he gets better, just wants to fight." He mutters to himself as he launches into his own training under a punishing pressure. It was a good fight. He can't deny it. It had been a long time since they'd drawn blood like that. He knows it's because for so many moments he deceived himself. He saw a different opponent and it felt good. He even caught himself anticipating Kakarot's moves. He had been shocked when it his foot didn't connect or his block left him open instead. He had been shocked at his own sloppy ferocity. _Am I still so angry at him?_ The thought is accompanied by an overwhelming wave of disappointment.

He throws a furious punch into one of the remodeled droids. Instead of breaking into a thousand pieces like it normally would, it sends a painful shock into his body. He lets out an agonizing yell as he is thrown against the floor. He is in almost enough pain to forget what he was feeling. Almost. So he does it again.

And again.

And again.

And again...

 

\----

 

He has ransacked three closets already and can't find it anywhere. He pauses when he hears the door click open. _Shit. I was so hoping I could avoid him._

"'Ten? Is that you? What are you doing here?" his older brother sets down a briefcase and smiles, "it is! What a... welcome surprise."

Goten sits back on his heels and looks at his brother who does, for a change, seem genuinely happy to see him. In his dorky sweater vest and glasses... Goten has always suspected they were just for looks.  _Saiyans with eye problems._ He snorts at his own thoughts.

"It's been a while, you really should come by more often."

He doesn't respond.

"I know you see Pan all the time. Heh, she's always running over to capsule co-"

"No" he sighs,  _Why does he always insist on doing this?_ "I don't. Trunks sees Pan all the time." He continues digging through the closet.

Gohan laughs uncomfortably, "Yeah they're, uh, pretty close these days I guess."

Goten shakes his head as his brothers brilliant naivety. He shoves the huge piles of clothes and junk around him back into the closet and moves to another room. Gohan follows him and leans against the door frame.

"How's Trunks?"

"Fine."

"How's B-"

"Bra is fine. I'm fine. And yes, Gohan, even Vegeta is fine! Is there anything else you want to know?"

There's a long awkward silence while Goten continues his search.

"Mom would like it if you came by Paozu more."

"No, she wouldn't." he shoots back with more venom than he means.

"She would." He says sternly, with his 'I'm the big brother, I'm in charge' voice. Goten can't help but grimace at the familiar tone.

"You're right." he finally halts his efforts and faces his brother, "She would like it if I came and visited her. She would like it even more if I introduced her to my new rich wife. I'm sure she would loooove it if I waved my fancy professor job in her face-"

"Oh grow up! Can't you turn it off and pretend for a few hours? She doesn't have to know ev-"

"Turn it off?! What's wrong with you? How could you ask me something like that?" They're now standing toe to toe but he's not quite eye-level. Gohan's always been taller.

"Because she's your mother! She may be set in her ways but she still loves you."

Goten relaxes and backs down, "She visits me as much as I visit her. It's just the way we like it, don't interfere."

Gohan adjusts his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose with fatherly frustration, "does it have to be like this every time you visit?"

"You're the one who brought it up." Goten pushes past his brother.

"Look- I'm just-" he sighs, "I assume you're here rifling through my family's things for a reason then, what do you want?"

Goten mumbles something from another room and Gohan is sure he misheard.

"You want what?" Gohan finds him rummaging through his office desk. He keeps his distance, arms crossed and watches with curiosity. He's still quite sure he misheard until Goten looks back at him with a glimpse of vulnerability only a brother gets to see.

"It's not here."

"Where then? I've-" he points to the scattered papers and books, "I've looked in damn near every closet, this house is just so-" he walks down the hall, "It's so huge! How do you live here?"

Gohan raises a brow, "Where do you think? It's in my room."

Goten pauses in his thoughts, "Still?"

The older brother frowns. "Even though you might think so, it's not junk." They walk upstairs together and turn a corner into a cool sparsely, but expensively, furnished room. He opens a small closet and reaches to the back. Even after almost a decade, they both notice it still looks bright and comfortable.

"What do you want dad's gi for?" He painfully remembers the last time it was in Goten's possession. It felt like forever ago. Who knows what Vegeta had been telling him about their father, whatever it was it had the desired effect. Goten came running back from a training session furious, almost in tears. He tore it off his wall and tried to burn it. Gohan rescued it at the cost of taking a firey ki blast. An all out war between brothers broke out. Gohan being the stronger of them at that point won and kept it. It was weeks before they spoke again. They had never fought as bad as that before or since.

He reluctantly lets Goten take hold of it.

"I..." he thinks carefully over his words. He knows if he says the wrong thing, Gohan will never let it leave the house, "Tell me something about dad."

Gohan smiles incredulously, "You- you want to know about dad?"

"Yeah, tell me something about him."

He feels a strange sort of relief _. I can't believe after all this time, he's finally asking... he's letting go..._ He pushes down the suspicion of his brother's sudden interest with hope that he has changed.

"Mom just cried... when I used to ask. And Vegeta... heh, If he says anything it's usually-"

"Profane?"

"To say the least."

It suddenly hits hard just how left in the dark his little brother has been, _"_ And I was never there, was I?"

"Yeah. Family man." Gohan's smile turns sad as Goten strips off his shirt and pants to put the gi on.

"I guess I could tell you about Namek. Kami, I could talk all day about being on Namek with him. I was terrified at the time, but looking back now it was..." Goten drowns out his brother's fond memories with his own thoughts. He flexes a few times in front of the mirror then pulls the string out of his hair letting his wild Saiyan locks free. His brother halts mid sentence.

"Goten."

"Yeah. I know." His voice wavers, "It's perfect."

"I-" he puts a hand on his little brother's shoulder. He turns Goten and looks him in the eyes with a serious expression, "You're not running off to space, are you?"

"What? No." He shrugs off the hand and turns back towards the mirror.

"You've been stepping up your training in the last few months; don't think I haven't noticed."

Normally, he would have glowed with pride, his brother was not so subtly telling him he'd gotten stronger, that he still read his Ki, but the feeling is muted by the accusation.

"I'm not running away, I'm not-" _dad._ He grunts and throws a sweater on over the bright orange, "anyway, I'm taking it."

"You haven't said why."

"I don't need to have a reason... I don't have anything of his. I'm the only one who still trains... I thought it would be-"

"Fitting?"

"Yeah." He's lying through his teeth and Gohan knows it,  _Goten isn't exactly the sentimental type, especially with dad's gear..._ his mind runs through a list of possibilities... _It's been over a decade now... He's probably not coming back. What's the worst he could do with it, besides destroy it?_ He sighs dejectedly.

"Who wore it better?" He flashes a cocky grin at his brother.

Gohan let out a short laugh, the kind that doesn't have any joy behind it, _He surely learned that from Trunks._

Goten looks down at himself, "what?"

"You might have the hair and the gi, but one word out of your mouth is a dead give away."

His expression drops, "We don't sound alike?"

"You really don't remember him do you?" Goten shakes his head.

"It's not that you don't sound alike. Dad was just a country boy. He was straightforward and- It's hard to imagine him asking, 'who wore it better'" Gohan shakes his head and laughs, then gives his brother a thoughtful look, "Goten, I know everyone expected- expects- a lot of you.... and it's hard to be around the others when they idolize him so much...  and then there's Mom... Kami, knows she doesn't make it easy for you but-" he sighs, Goten's expression clearly wondering when he's going to stop lecturing, "you're not him. You're my little brother. My only brother. Please, don't do anything reckless."

"I would never." Goten says with a smirk and walks out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People always talk about Vegeta being difficult to write, I found Gohan the most difficult. :O 
> 
> I couldn't bring myself to end their conversation on a sour note as siblings too often do.


	4. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: non-con/rape

He crept carefully through the halls back to the guest room he inhabited during his months away from school and quickly stripped off the soft orange fabric. He folded it away into the bottom drawer where it would remain until the moment was right. That was all there was left to do now. Wait.  

Weeks of grueling training went by just watching Vegeta's tightly wound frame, _which was just begging to be fucked,_ strutting around in front of him, stretching in front of him, flexing in front of him. And everyday it became harder to get satisfaction; the risk of injury to the other was so great and getting greater. He gave up completely on humans after a few months of realizing he had the perfect lay already. Unfortunately, there were roadblocks, namely, Vegeta.

He hesitated and worried over what kind of reaction wearing his fathers gi would really have. They didn't exactly depart on good terms, the last two full Saiyans. He'd have to find the perfect moment to do it. But the lack of contact, the short words, the guarded presence and when he does choose to interact with him it's always about training.  _Kami, he can't even hold a normal conversation. This is going to be impossible!_ But it finally happened.

  
  
\----

  
  
Vegeta has been gone the whole day, doing who knows what but at least he didn't make the news again. It's late, already dark, when he returns. Goten is making a poor attempt at studying when he looks to the window and sees an object flying in a slow crooked line towards Capsule Corp. _Can't be a meteor.... is that an animal?_ With a loud thud he sees a figure crumple face first into the lawn. He pauses the game and sprints out to the balcony to see what it is.

Vegeta is face down ass up, un-moving, passed out in a meter deep crater. Before the words for help can escape him, he sees the older Saiyan struggle to his feet and make a slow haphazard journey to the back door.

  
Must have trained himself to exhaustion... Then his face lights up. _It's my chance. It's- he's fatigued. He won't be thinking straight, his power level reduced, his senses... dulled... and where- ah I don't have much time._ It never occurs to Goten that he's the one who's not thinking straight. He darts down to the guest room as fast as he can manage and jumps out of his clothes into the gi. He bolts back up stairs as Vegeta is stumbling through the back door.

  
He hesitates with his hand on the brass handle. There's a light thud on the stairs. He swiftly enters and closes the door again. He lowers his ki as much as he can before finding the darkest corner of the room, sinking down behind a bare wooden dresser.

  
Everything is suddenly washed in light. The room is spartan. A simple metal frame with a thin but soft looking mattress on it, neat and made like the rest of the room. The only thing that could pass for decoration was a small clock on the end table next to the bed. The door slams shut and his eyes have to readjust to the moonlight streaming in from the windows.

  
He watches Vegeta stagger over to the mattress, pull off his shirt and flop down. Goten feels out his ki as he waits in the darkness. It's erratic. It feels like he's shifting between a fight and sleep over and over again. Vegeta splays his arms out over the bed and kicks his boots off, letting his legs and feet hang over the edge, almost touching the floor. He sighs heavily and then doesn't stir for several minutes.

  
Goten stands slowly and approaches the bed with his ki still lowered. Vegeta's eyes are closed and he's breathing deeply. _He doesn't look injured... or like he's been training... he looks... drunk?_   He stares in disbelief for a moment.

  
He raises his ki to normal as quickly as he can manage, trying to simulate an "instant" arrival. He has been practicing for weeks and it works; Vegeta bolts upright and stares at the strange figure who has 'appeared' in his room.

  
It's dead silent as Vegeta squints hard at the outlines of an orange clad, wild haired warrior. His eyes kept trying to settle on the shifting double image which only succeeds in making him dizzier.

  
"Kakarot? ...Ka-" Goten walks up and places his hand over the full Saiyan's mouth.

_Kakarot? I can feel him, his hand. But... that's impossible... These... dreams... are getting harder to distinguish from... reality._

The demi can't believe it worked. If this was really all it took to fuck Vegeta, he would have tried a long time ago. _And I am going to fuck Vegeta. I'm going to take every advantage of fucking a Saiyan._ Shivers run up his spine as he thinks about feeling those hard muscles under him.

  
The moment doesn't last long though and Vegeta's face begins to contort with anger, still not sure if this is real or not.

"Fuck you! Fuck you Kakarot!" He flashes to his feet and in front of Goten who is unprepared for the fist that slams into his nose. He stumbles back into the wall, hands already at the site of the injury, blood leaking through his fingers. He barely suppresses a scream.

"You think you can just come and go whenever you want?!" he waits for a response, "You think you can just disappear for a few years and show back up like everything's fine!? Fuck you!" His slurring only makes him sound angrier.

It finally occurs to Goten, that this might have been a bad idea.... tampering with the emotions and memories of an unstable, murderous former destroyer of planets. He considers how much worse the beating will be if he gives himself away right now.

Vegeta's gruff voice cracks with emotion, "W-what about your kids? Your family? Did you even bother to see them? Do you-" he struggles to stay angry, "do you even care?"  
His hands are still clasped together over the slowed geyser of blood streaming out of his nose. He stares back at a furious unsteady Saiyan hoping he can get an opening and knock him out _. Or something, fuck._

"What's wrong? Nothing to say?" He's calmer now so Goten slowly shakes his head.

"Tch, of course not." Disgust written all over his face, it feels so real and he's too past the limit, he can't resist finally letting all the angry tormented thoughts that he's bottled up pour out of him, "You don't care. You would have come back if you did. By now I've been more of a father to both your kids than you ever were. Especially Goten." The younger recoils hearing his own name,

"I practically raised him. and you! You wouldn't know the first thing about him!" Vegeta rears his first up again. He can't bring himself to land another blow, now that he's looking Kakarot in the eyes, and it drops limply back to his side.

Goten suddenly feels himself suppressing a strong surge of guilt. _or is it vomit? How much blood did I just swallow?_

  
"He's stronger than Trunks, than Gohan. I've been training him even though he's soft. Always pulling his punches" there's the shadow of a smile on his face, "just like you. But smarter." Goten caught the flash of the trademark smirk before it returned to blatant irritation, "but you don't care, do you? Just came to get fucked and leave, didn't you?" Goten can't help but let out a snort of laughter, _like my father ever got fucked by you. We all know who was stronger._ Vegeta's scowl deepens and he refuses to meet his rival's gaze. Goten considers trying to make a break for it,  _this was a bad idea, really bad, apparently they fought more than they fucked_ but he sees the angry Saiyan just swaying, silently- _Kami, Vegeta, you need this more than I do. You're a fucking wreck-_ Vegeta's brow softens, "We miss you. All of us."

And Goten realizes he'll never get this close again so he takes a risk and runs the backs of his fingers gently down the side of Vegeta's face leaving faint red streaks. The full Saiyan's expression changes. He smirks, _t_ _his must be a dream,_ he narrows his eyes and grips Goten's blood covered hand stopping it half way.

He clicked his tongue, "What are you doing?"

He utters a shocked reply, "I- I'm-" _Did I misinterpret... everything?_

"How many times to I have to remind you?" _Even in my dreams_. "We're Saiyans. We do it like Saiyans." His trademark smirk was starting to look more like a sadistic grin as he quickly tore the gi off his body and pushed him on to the bed. "Was space so terrible? You've forgotten what it's like to grace my bed?" He crawls over top of him and pins his wrists.

  
"Wait, what-" _This is not quite what I had in mind._

  
He presses his hand tightly to Goten's jaw, "I didn't forget."

  
Goten struggles to shift positions. He can smell the alcohol oozing from Vegeta's pores as he leans in closer and a panic begins to overtake the half Saiyan.

  
"How long have you been here?" He inhales deeply, "You don't smell like space."

  
Goten powers up to try and steal the advantage but Vegeta is still faster, "What's the matter Kakarot? Neglect your training lately?"

  
He tries to reply but the voice stuck in his throat. If he powers up, he's sure it will give him away.

  
"Guess so..." Vegeta presses his nose and lips against his neck, "Which leaves me with the question, if you weren't training.... what were you doing out there all this time?" He was already kneeing the half saiyan's legs apart and positioning himself between them. Goten is in a full blown frenzy to escape, trying his best not to smear blood on everything.

He was sure... sure his father had been- he was sure Vegeta, with his spoiled, princely air, his small narrow waist-ed body, his angry flamboyant personality - he was so fucking sure he would be all but begging for it. Pleading for Kakarot to take him. And yet-

  
He lets out a sound that is half pain half surprise as Vegeta forces two fingers into his mouth. They go right to the back of his throat and Goten immediately starts gagging.

  
"Suck" he commands. Goten is still sputtering, trying to turn his head away, "what's the matter? You forget how all the way out there? In the vacuum of space?" Goten can feel ki on the fingertips invading his mouth. It's warm, and magnetic. Tastes like iron. It feels like sparks are going off inside his head, and not the type of sparks had been hoping for, they are real painful electrical shocks.

  
He manages to spit out the intruding digits.

Vegeta reels back in irritation. "What? What do you want Kakarot?" He glares at Goten. "If you're going to talk about fucking feelings then get fucking lost!"

"N-no!" 

"Then what is it?" he sat up on Goten's hips. The half Saiyan's eyes are immediately drawn to the already harden member straining against Vegeta's training shorts.

"It's just- I thought... I thought-" He felt his face flush with embarrassment. He realizes Vegeta has an enormous advantage in the moment; he _knows_ Kakarot and he _knows_ Goten. His words must be few and necessary in order to get what he wants but he has no idea what his father would say, he has no idea what kind of relationship they had and this was not the situation he expected. _Though, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let this play out his way._

  
"What did you think?" The full Saiyan leaned in with a lip curling sneer. One hand playfully caressing through his ragged locks while the other rested firmly on his shoulder. Goten tries to shift his legs and adjust their position. Vegeta cocks his head in confusion at the motion then began to laugh. "Did you think you'd be the one to top this time? Just because you decided to come back?" Goten nodded.

"No. No, that's not how it's going to be. Whether you're here or in my dreams." He teases with a tongue against the shell of his rival's ear. He lets out a satisfied chuckle as he feels a pulse against his abdomen, "I seem to recall you were more than happy with our arrangement."

_Arrangement? Just what kind of relationship was this?  
_

"Don't worry Kakarot, you know I'll take care of you." He tugs on the sash around the half Saiyan's waist and strips it off and Goten can't help his body's response to the whispers in his ear. Vegeta silently noted the change in body language and pulled back. "Good. Let's try this again."

Goten's half lidded eyes nodded in agreement as he decides to play along and he hungrily ate up the fingers that reentered his mouth. _  
_

"Much better."

_Oh, this is definitely a power thing for him._


	5. Gaslight

He wakes up with a start and immediately looks to the other side of the bed. Morning light is just starting to stream in. He feels with his hand. _Damp, cold, and... empty._ He sighs. _These dreams are getting worse every time. It felt so real..._ they usually began to drift off as soon as he awoke, but not this time. It lingered, burning into his mind brighter every moment he illuminated it with conscious thought. He can't help the deepening emptiness that comes along with it, pervasive despite the haze of lust.

These dreams used to make him furious but now... he felt a flush of heat and loneliness _. I must have drank too much last night.... that's why it must have seemed so..._

 _Last night...._ he had been sitting at their old sparring grounds, getting trashed. He always did around this time a year. Bulma's death and Kakarot's... _15 year temper tantrum..._ It helped to just get away sometimes. He doesn't remember getting back. But he does remember barreling head first towards the ground, he rolls his shoulder thinking about the hard landing. After that it gets fuzzy. He somehow made it inside, _then what?_ He remembers.... Kakarot appearing in front of him.

 _We fought. Ha. I fight with the stupid bastard even in my dreams, even when he doesn't say a word... when it's just the ghost of him._ He let's out a low growl, there isn't usually that much 'foreplay', but sometimes... _he just makes me want to punch his idiot third class face in! He makes me want to kill him! He makes me want to put my hands- he makes me want to- I want to.... Fuck._ All the hate drains as he thinks about how he had pinned Kakarot to the bed and mercilessly pounded into him just moments after cracking his nose, taking out all his aggression, all his anger, all his passion. _That was the best orgasm I've had in- since-_ He can't finish the thought as more images of Kakarot's face appear, he focuses on one in particular; Kakarot's brows furrowed, sweat dripping down his face and neck, flushed pink cheeks, white teeth biting deeply into his lip to restrain obscene moans. Not his usual sex face, this one was much more lewd. The more of his dream he remembers the harder it was to resist the blood slowly working its way south.

 _It felt so real..._ an image of roughly flipping Kakarot over and taking him from behind passes through his head. He presses his fingers to his face, just like he did in his dream when he rubbed the blood from Kakarots face onto his own. He remembers tasting it, enjoying it, reveling in the painfully pleasured sounds he forced from the writhing body beneath him. Kakarot liked it hard, but not usually violent. and he felt... _different._ He wasn't sure what that was about. Whatever the cause, the change of pace in his dreams which had of late been running more towards intimate, was more than welcome. Anything to stave off the possibility he felt anything more than lust and anger toward that idiot. He brushes the tips of his fingers across his lips as his other hand finds itself beneath his waistba-

"What the fuck?" He tears the sheets off himself. He is completely naked. _Did I strip off my clothes? I never sleep na-_ He looks at his sheets. _Blood?! Mine?_ _Who's-_ A cold sweat breaks out on the back of his neck as he shoots out of bed. He is too tangled up in the sticky sheets to make a graceful escape and ends up falling to the floor with a hard thud. The room takes a momentary spin around him _. I shouldn't have drank so much._ He slowly gets back up and starts looking over his body for wounds but there are none, only blood... _and the sheets, the sheets are covered in blood._ He remembers Kakarot had broken his nose but-

"That was a dream." he whispers to himself, gliding his finger tips across his lips again. He can smell the blood. He can taste it. He lets the hand drop to his side and feels a smirk pull at the corner of his mouth.

"He came back?" He quickly throws on the pair of training shorts from last night laying at the foot of the bed. His ki surges in an effort to find the missing Saiyan but he feels only what is normally there. There are two large ki's besides his own in capsule corp. He is sure one of them, the lower of the two, is his son. It takes him a moment to confirm the other as Goten. A strange feeling of deja-vu runs through him. He vaguely remembers Goku's Ki last night felt different. But he'd also been shithoused. He was sure he could recognize Kakarot's Ki immediately. He brushes the thought off and pushes his ki outward, as far as he can reach, searching, until he is forced to the balcony and takes off into the sky.

 

\----

 

Upon waking Goten slowly realizes with groggy satisfaction he has never felt so disgusting.

And so fucking good.

He stretches and feels the pop and pull of a hundred sore muscles and a few aching joints. A senzu can only do so much.  _At least my nose isn't shattered anymore._ He smiles and lets out a contented "I just had sex" sigh. He gets up and looks at the foot of his bed where the tatters an orange and blue gi lay. _I'll have to fix that if I want to do this again.... And I'm definitely going to do it again..._ He knows he shouldn't. He thinks about last night, he should feel startling discomfort as he remembers Vegeta whispering his father's name into his ear all night long. Instead a shudder of warmth runs down his spine and a feeling of implacable satisfaction fills him because he has successfully played Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans, King of assholes. And now he, Goten, the second half blood son of his only rival, has the power to utterly destroy him. He didn't even realize how much he wanted that power until he had it. It felt so good to be in control for once.

Not to mention the fantastic sex. _Two birds one stone,_ he hums happily to himself. He sits up and rubs his back _,_ _didn_ ' _t think he'd be a top, though. Kami, he fucks just like he trains. Relentlessly. Thoroughly. And... passionately_. The last part surprised him, but he couldn't deny it. Vegeta is not a selfish bed partner. Even if he pretends to be harsh and cruel, pinning him, pulling his hair, slamming into him while his hand palms at the blood on his face, every time he tightened his grip on his thighs, his hips, his neck, there was a softer gentler touch somewhere else sending him into ecstasy, reassuring him that this was for _Kakarot_ as much as it was for Vegeta. He pushed aside the confusing thoughts about his father and Vegeta's clearly complicated relationship and thought about instead how that had been without a doubt, the best sex of his life and was exactly what he needed.

Not ten minutes later he is half hard, running his hand up and down his shaft, when he feels Vegeta's energy sky rocket and suddenly leave Capsule Corp.

"What the hell?" _Time to do damage control._

 

\------

 

Vegeta returns to capsule corps only a few hours later with a look of distracted distress on his face. It's still morning. He had only checked the usual places, Mt Paozu, their sparring grounds, the look out, he even flew by Roshi's island. But every area came up empty. He starts mulling possible locations, _maybe he left planet again?_   _Did he really come just to get-_ He walks up the stairs towards his room. He almost runs into Bulma's mother who smiles brightly at him,

"Oh, Vegeta, dear, you must stop training your self to injury, I thought you were passed that!"

"What?" _Rude. I know how to train. Nosy bi-_

"And you must thank Goten, he's such a good young man for taking care of you." She walked by him.

He ignored her and continued towards his room. He saw that his door was open and his room had been-

"Panchi, were you in my room?!" but she was already gone. "What the fuck? That woman!" _Why do none of the Brief women have a sense of personal space!_ Sure enough, his bed had been stripped and clean sheets had replaced what had been there before. He wasted no time tearing them off and searching for any shred of evidence about what had occurred here. He looked under his bed, his closet, he checked the bathroom but everything was pristine. _Damn woman._ Those sheets were as good as burned now. It would be too uncomfortable to approach her about it but... _it had been real... hadn't it? What did Panchi say...?_ He felt out for the second largest Ki in his house. _Of course. Typical Son._

His normal arrogant stride started deteriorating into unsure steps the closer he got to the kitchen. He hesitated before walking in, _that is Goten, right?_ He shook off the doubt and turned into the kitchen with his trademark scowl renewed.

"Goten." The half Saiyan looked up from his fifth bowl of cereal. He at least had the decency to put his hair up this morning, _because you can only get away with so much at a time._

"Vegeta," He smiled, "are you feeling better?"

He remained silent for several moments contemplating what to say next. He searched Goten's face for any hint of something other than his usual angst and the upsettingly familiar smile he used to hide it. He certainly didn't seem like anything was out of the ordinary. But he couldn't stand the embarrassment, the unbearable thought that Goten might have seen him... in a vulnerable state. _Or worse._

"Last night I-... Have you-" He couldn't figure out how to put it without immediately creating an uncomfortable atmosphere for himself.

Goten snorted, "You don't remember, do you?" Vegeta shook his head. "Yeah, you were really out of it." Goten watched the full Saiyan's subtle expressions carefully, "well, you crashed into the CC back yard. I heard the noise and went to see what was going on. I guess the landing knocked you out because I had to carry you inside."

"Knocked out?" _  
_

"and you were bleeding pretty bad. It looked like you'd shattered your nose on the impact. After I dumped you on to your bed I went to find you a senzu bean. And well, here you stand today." he paused thoughtfully, "What kind of training were you doing? I haven't seen you that fucked up in years." The anger at Goten's candid commentary was fleeting, overwhelmed by the unsettling realization that maybe he was finally losing his mind.

 _Fuck, did I try to train like that?_   He didn't remember doing any training... _but alcohol... and my... unstable tendencies... it wouldn't be unheard of for me to... find injury. But I can't fucking remember anything. Just drinking until I couldn't, then hitting the lawn, and then_ Kakarot. _  
_

"You really don't remember anything?"

"I-" His cheeks suddenly felt hot. _  
_

"It doesn't really matter, I guess. I ran into Panchi this morning and had her check on you, but you were already gone I guess. Feel up for a spar today?"

He stared back at Goten, "I- No."

"What about tomo-"

"No!" he said a bit louder than he meant to. "We'll see." He corrected himself and tried to mask his discomfort. _I'm going fucking crazy._

 _This is too good._ Goten laughed softly, "You sorta came to when I brought you inside. Just long enough to curse at me and call me Kakarot. I know I look like him, but I was kind of worried the impact gave you a concussion, you're OK right?"

"I'm fine, brat." The full Saiyan's cheeks burned as he whipped around and left the room.

Goten laughed quietly to himself and continued eating his cereal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than usual, sorry! Hopefully I can crank out the next chapter soon.
> 
> I couldn't resist making Goten a little... cruel. Just a disclaimer though, I'm not really trying to make a villain out of him. He's just... young and hurting. Who knows though, we'll see how he develops.


	6. The Makings of a Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: sexual violence, noncon

The skip in his walk was still apparent weeks later. He swears he still wakes up with afterglow. Trunks keeps shooting him odd looks but doesn't say anything. It isn't until they are sitting on the couch playing smash and Goten suddenly says they should go out that he knows something's up.

"You. Wanna go out? You never want to go out."

"Well, I'm feeling good. When's the last time we did something fun?"

He snorts, "With my work schedule and your sorry ass? It's been ages."

"C'mon then, what do you have going on tomorrow?"

Trunks pauses and considers for a moment, "I guess I just have a board meeting at noon. So, fuck it! We can go anywhere." His character kicks Goten's off screen. The dark haired half Saiyan only smiles and puts the controller down. Trunks gets up and starts fussing with the controls before he works his way over to his closet and starts rifling through clothes. "Exactly how much fun do you-"

"Let's get fucking wasted. Burn the city down. I feel like celebrating."

"Alright 'Ten, who is he?"

"Who?"

"You met someone."

He laughs and tries to brush it off.

"Oh come on, Goten, don't try to play me, I know you met someone."

"What makes you think that?" He can't help the nervous smile and faint red that spreads across his cheeks.

"Besides the obvious?" he gestures to Goten's relaxed stance, "Or maybe I should remind you that you haven't broken anything in two weeks? Someone must have helped you take the edge off." He teases. _Take the edge off is right_.

The blush is replaced by cool confidence, "It's not like that. I've been doing more control exercises. Vegeta developed this progra-."

"You gonna bring him to the CC holiday party next week?" Goten scoffs. _Y'know, sometimes I hate that you're the son of the most brilliant woman on the planet_.

"Where'd you meet? You're bringing him to CC soon, right? Have you told him about me? What's his name?"

 _Oh trust me, you already know almost everything about him. Almost_   "Trunks, would I be going out tonight if I had something going on with someone?"

The lavender haired CEO pulls out a pair of black slacks and throws them at goten. "Fair point," he holds up three shirts, "but I will be the first to meet him right? Which one goes better with yellow?"

"Really?" Trunks nods and Goten rolls his eyes, "the black one." Trunks grins and pulls his current shirt off.

The younger Saiyan stands up and walks over, "What do you have? I can't go like this."

Trunks gives him a once over, "Yeah, definitely not. You look like a gym rat. Take what you want. We're going to where only the youngest hottest billionaire in the world should go."

"Isn't Bra the youngest? and the hottest?"

"Does she run the company? No. She's not the billionaire Besides, I'm definitely hotter than my sister." He flexes with a cocky smile, Goten tries to avoid obviously staring, _it's not like I see him like that... but can't deny he looks damn good, looks like he's picked up training again,_ "At best she's the attractive six figure secretary."

Goten pulls out a pair of fitted jeans and shrugs. "You're almost as vain as her."

Trunks laughs, "It's genetic, from our mother. Although I suspect dad has a secret vain streak, just look at that hair." He finishes getting dressed.

"Ha! Just because you can't get yours to stand up, doesn't mean he spends hours on his. It's a Saiyan thing." Goten motions to the spikes jutting out from the band in his hair.

"Whatever, 'Ten. I can make my hair stand up if I want to" He mumbles. Goten is still trying to find a shirt that fits. _All these shirts are cut so narrow, I'm gonna tear the seams._ Trunks' energy surges for a moment and Goten spins around only to see an arrogant smirk that would give even Vegeta a run for his money.

"I'm going blonde tonight. Never fails."

"Are you sure you can hold it all night? You never train."

"What makes you think I don't train? Just because I don't with you, doesn't mean I don't at all. What do you think Pan and I do all day when we're not working?"

Goten raises an eyebrow. The purple haired Saiyan's cheeks turn pink and he turns back towards the mirror to hide his embarrassment, "Fuck you, you know we're not like... together or anything anyway."

"You keep telling yourself that." Trunks shoots him a look but doesn't counter. They take off from the balcony moments later with Trunks leading the way. It's ten o'clock sharp when they land in Vegas.

"Holy shit."

"You said you wanted to go out."

"So you took us here?"

"It's my favorite city."

"Of course it is." He rubbed his palm against his face, "fuuuck. We're in for a hell of a night."

Trunks is already walking down the street, "Are you coming 'Ten?"

They have a system. Perfected with years of dedication to the art, honed by Saiyan instincts and improved always by their constant practice. It helps that they don't compete. Perfect comfortable conversation convinces two sisters to sit on Trunks lap who dare him to try and out drink Goten who's already had triple the number of drinks. Although he fails, he still manages to impress them when he pays the tab. They don't have to convince the two brunettes to go to the gay bar with them. It's times for Trunks to sit back and let Goten work his magic, but as soon as they enter, Trunks pushes the dark haired Saiyan off into the crowd of sweating dancing bodies.

The dark haired demi Saiyan can feel the music in his rib cage. He can smell cigarettes, alcohol, cologne, lust and desperation. The perfect atmosphere. He finds himself in the midst of the crowd moving to the rhythm. _Kami, it's been too long since I've had real fun! Not that... Vegeta wasn't- don't think about that right now!_ Goten sends ki to his finger tips and quickly amasses a euphoric crowd; _now I can get a good look at the menu._ The light disappears from his hands as he walks towards the strongest looking one. He's dripping in sweat, probably on drugs, but it doesn't matter. The spiked brown hair is an added bonus.

Trunks sees them wander off and takes his cue whispering with soft lips into the girls ear about what kind of night their going to have, they giggle and stumble along with him out the door.

 

\---

 

Goten and whoever was unlucky enough to be taken in by his dashing Saiyan charm stumble through the door of a hotel room. Mouth on mouth, chest on chest, hips on grinding hips. The door is hardly shut before they're stripped naked. The human is clearly impressed by Goten's hard chiseled physique.

"Wow, and I thought I was ripped. We should exchange work outs."

The man doesn't realize it, but he's said the wrong thing. _I'm not here to talk about training,_ "Do you like it rough?"

The human laughs nervously, "I- Yeah, why not, a little? But... nothing crazy."

"I like it crazy." Goten backs the man toward the bed until he falls into it.

His eyes shift nervously around the room, "Let's... how about we start off slower, and then... we build up to the crazy stuff?"

Goten doesn't start slow. He's too inebriated. Too out of control. He feels too damn good. And this weak human in front of him isn't going to stop him from having fun. Faster than he can think the man's legs are resting on Goten's shoulders.

"Wait, don't- don't you want me to suck you off first? or something?" He's starting to sense he went home with the wrong guy.

"No." Goten finds a bottle of oil in a drawer next to the bed and slicks his hand, then his shaft. "Don't worry. I'm in control." He reassures himself. He enters as slowly as he can manage. His partner is relieved and starts to relax. Goten waits for him to adjust.

He lets out a sigh of pleasure when he feels Goten's hips press up against him, "You can move now."

Goten starts at an agonizingly slow pace. A Human pace. He already knows it's not going to be enough. "I'm going to go a little harder."

"wh-wha-" he can hardly get a word out, Goten's already thrusting into him but it's barely enough to keep him hard. _This isn't even a tenth as hard as Vegeta pounded me. Why am I thinking about Vegeta right now._ He goes a little harder.

"Ah-ah!" Strained sounds start to come out of the mouth he's neglecting.

"I'm going, I'm going to try something, but I want to switch positions." He doesn't wait for the other man to say yes. He pulls out and flips him onto his stomach. He grips his hips and pulls them up to his cock and thrusts back in.

"AAh!" that one was pain.

Goten presses his hand to the mans back and begins to release a low soft ki. Just enough for the man to accept willingly, just enough to make a shield. It spreads like water along the skin of the other man and he wordlessly prays that it works.

"What the fuck is that?" He shivers, "It feels amazing."

"I know." He can now thrust a little harder, a little faster. But it's still not enough and the body beneath him begins to make it known. His panting turns to trying to catch a breath, his moans start turning to whines and complaints. Every time Goten thrusts the protests get louder.

"Sto-" Goten pushes his palm against the back of his skull so the man's face is in the pillow. Goten is losing focus and the ki around his partner is wavering.

"Fuck, I don't want to hear you unless you say my fucking name." The man is almost screaming, his body wracked with physical resistance now as the shield begins to dissipate completely, he manages to pull back from the pillow.

"Stop! stop! I don't even know your name! AAh! St-"

"Goten! My name's Goten, say my name!"

"AAAH, GOTEN! GOTEN! STO-" his voice shuts off into whimpers. Orgasm rips through the half Saiyan without warning. He can feel the bones giving just slightly beneath his fingers. He can smell the smoke and sex in the room. He comes back to his senses sooner than he would have liked. The first thing he thinks is that he still feels unsatisfied.

He looks at the man beneath him, who's face is streaked with tears. Goten pulls out feeling a tinge of regret and pity. He starts rooting through his clothes.

"wh-what are you doing?" the man says between sobs.

Goten throws a small green object at him. "It was supposed to be for my hang over. Eat it."

The man hesitates and tries to get up but his legs aren't quite working. "Oh my god, what the fuck! I thin- AH! you broke my fucking spine!!" He sobs louder.

Goten's only concern is that he shuts up before someone hears him. "Just eat the damn bean."

The man hesitantly puts it in his mouth. As he chews, there are several loud pops and a visible realignment of his hips. The pain dissipates.

"Are you going to tell anyone about this?" The man shakes his head.

Goten finishes pulling his pants on and grabs his shirt. He opens the window and ducks out.

 

It's seven in the morning when Goten finds Trunks covered in... _what the fuck is that? Syrup?_ and at least three women. Goten gently shakes him awake. Trunks mumbles something indiscernible.

"Hey. Trunks, let's head back to Capsule Corp."

"What? I was tryynaa.." he trails back into sleep mid sentence

"Trunks, hey, wake up. You have a meeting at noon."

Trunks shoots up, "Oh fuck, you're right." He carefully detangles himself from the slender bodies around him. "Sorry ladies" he whispers with a keen smirk. He pulls his jeans on and heads towards the window. "I can't fly right now." He says wobbling with one hand on the wall. "Can't we take that cloud thing?"

"Trunks, look at us, I don't even think it would respond if called."

"Damn." Trunks starts to slump over. Goten catches him with ease.

"Easy does it." He throws Trunks' arm over his shoulder and props him up slightly. Then takes off into the air.

He lands awkwardly trying not to let Trunks who is passed out, slump immediately to the ground.

"We're back already? how was your night?" he slurs.

"Not as good as yours."

"Hm." Trunks stumbles forward still using Goten as a steadying block. "I know you don't get along with Bra, but maybe you should talk with her about your problem."

"Yeah? why's that?" _Just let him ramble, he's drunk_ _. Besides, you already know how to fix your 'problem'... it's just not... easy._

"I think she has the same problem." he catches himself from a fall. "She's hada coupla guys try to press charges against her for some craaazzzy shit... do you know how much we've had to pay to keep it outta the media?"

"How much?"  _You must have kept this real quiet, because even I haven't heard about it._ Though it didn't surprise him. She inherited all of Bulma's beauty and even more of Vegeta's ambition. If she wanted something, she found a way to get it and Goten knew first hand that what she wanted was almost never mutual.

"You really don't wanna know." Trunks suddenly stops and pukes all over the lawn just before reaching the door way. After a few minutes, when it seems he's mostly empty, Goten takes the bold risk of helping him inside. _It's still early. hopefully we can- Of course not._

He is standing in front of them in the hallway, coffee in hand, training shorts on, towel around his neck, dripping in sweat.Goten has to refrain from licking his lips. Vegeta stares at them with an unreadable expression.

There is no emotion in his voice, "Day after day you manage to be a disappointment."

"Yeah? Well, day after day you manage to be a raging asshole." He quips back angrily.

Vegeta's eyebrows lift up and his eyes widen. He didn't expect a response, just the usual hateful glare and pouty frown. The surprise is temporary and he sneers back at Goten.

"Tch. Don't you learn fast?" _It's about time you stopped acting so soft._

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Vegeta walks by him towards the door, "It means if you're not still drunk, you're sparring today."

"Ha ha, you're fucked." Trunks mumbles out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping I can get a couple chapters out in quick succession this weekend :OO no promises though!
> 
> I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out. On the one hand, I really like the idea of Goten returning to his previous routine thinking it'll be better but ends up being worse... on the other... it's a lot. Sure he mention doing this in passing in previous chapters, but writing it out just made it so much worse D:


	7. Heart to.... heart?

  
Goten walks up to the gravity room. He can feel the soft humming under his feet. It's turned up full blast. He swallows as he realizes he has no idea what kind of spar is in store for today. Vegeta didn't seem particularly upset with him, he didn't think it was going to be the usual beat down. A quiet voice inside him hums in disappointment. The rest of him feels vacant after the events of the night before. _Can you sweat out shame?_

  
The door opens before he can put his hand on it.

  
\---

  
"You almost had me with that last one." Vegeta chides sarcastically. He knows Goten is struggling, probably dehydrated, probably hung over, probably still reeling from whatever trouble he and Trunks got into last night. He knows this is a piss poor spar. _But there's no better time to train than when you absolutely don't want to_. So he gives him a little bit of the edge to keep him invested. To keep him trying.

  
"You're going easy on me!" He shouts with frustration at the older Saiyan. They've been alternating drills and sparring for hours now and he's exhausted. He keeps getting distracted by the memory of the night before. It makes him feel sick. He keeps getting distracted by Vegeta.  It makes him uncomfortable. Now top it off with the fact that _he knows_ the full Saiyan is just toying with him even though he has been on the verge of winning the whole fight. It would be the third time he's ever won. _He's keeping it in my court, but just out of my reach_. Another wave of alcohol induced dizziness washes over Goten and he starts to lose his footing. Vegeta smirks, throws another punch and just like that the half Saiyan is out like a light.

  
It's just a few moments later when he comes to still laying on the floor. The gravity is off and Vegeta is sitting against the wall near by. The full Saiyan notices immediately and looks down at him.

"I never go easy on you."

Goten sits up. "Yeah, I know."  

"But you're a better fighter when you're sober." _Better than I was at your age. Maybe._

Goten scoffs. _I guess I should train harder then because your hits are just as hard when you're drunk._ Goten smiles briefly at his own thoughts, then regrets them.

  
"Everything we do here is for a purpose. To teach you something." _Because your idiot father never will._

 _Really? I was starting to think it was because you had a sadistic streak_. "Why." It comes out as more of a command than a question.

  
_Because I don't want you to be like him. Abandoning everything and everything just because you can. It's not... Saiyan._ "So you make the right choices."

  
"Since when have you ever cared about my cho-"

"Goten." He put up his hand to silence him, "Why do you do this? Why do you fight?"

"To get stronge-"

"No. Not why do you train, not why do you do martial arts, not why you do fuckin' anything else. Why. Do. You. Fight?" his scowl returns. _He can be just as dense._

  
Goten is caught off guard. He is so surprised to hear Vegeta say something that didn't outright provoke him, _I don't think I've ever... had a conversation with Vegeta that didn't revolve around training or result in an argument.  
_

"I-I don't know. I used to... when I was little, because I wanted to prove to my father... when he came back... that I was better. That I didn't need him. That I was stronger but now..." _Not just stronger than him, but stronger than you too._   He can't stop a painful memory from bubbling up.

  
\---

  
It was one of so many times Goten showed up trying to pick a fight. The older Saiyan doesn't even have to throw a punch to put him on the ground,

"Why should I waste my time on a brat like you. Why do you keep showing up here to lose? You are sloppy, undisciplined. Your father didn't even want to train you." Vegeta doesn't show it, but he regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth.

  
Goten remembers tearing up. "B-because I want to beat you. Like my d-dad will, when he comes ba-." His words are broken by sniffs and His voice starts to crack.

"He's not coming back." Vegeta regrets that too. "Saiyans don't cry." He can't deal with the reaction he caused, so he leaves. He walks away from the now sobbing child on the lawn and silently resolves to start training Goten the next time he comes for a fight.

 

Goten makes a resolve too as he flies home. Burn everything of his father's. Burn everything he'd never come back for. Or whatever he could manage to get his hands on.

 

\---

 

"Now, I guess it's just in my blood. I want... I want to fight all the time. It's just... instinct, maybe." there's a long quiet pause and Vegeta stares intensely at him, "you always said I was more Saiyan."

  
Vegeta lets out a huff of laughter. _You must be._

  
"Why do you?" For a moment the half Saiyan is sure Vegeta will ignore him and walk away. But he stays still and pulls his gaze towards the ceiling.

  
"I enjoy it, but part of that has always been out of necessity. Every waking moment was a fight under Frieza. It's been a part of my life since I can remember." He stops and considers his words carefully, "Then I met Kakarot and it became about pride. I couldn't stand being bested by him. I'm the Prince of our people. I had to be better. Now..." _I do it to pass the time, to not fall behind... while waiting for...  
_

  
He never finishes his thought, but it's still the most Goten has ever heard the man say about anything in a single sitting.

  
"Why didn't you go looking for him?" The words leave Goten's mouth before he can think about how invasive they are, how much they tease at the deeper nature of Vegeta that he thinks are private.

The full Saiyan gives him a sidelong glance. "Why haven't you? I always thought you would, but you continue to train here."

"I have."

"Tch, no. You haven't.  Those bullshit missions in space with Trunks as teenagers? With the galaxy police or whoever the fuck they are? That's not _looking_ for your father."

The half Saiyan laughed, "You're probably right. But while I was out there... I never felt so much as a hint. I stopped looking, I guess. I always assumed he'd come back."

Vegeta says nothing in response.

  
"Do you think he will?"

  
"Come back?"

The half Saiyan nods.

"No." he lies

And Goten follows suit, "Me neither."

It's strange for Vegeta to look at this carbon copy of his rival and see that he is a completely different person. Someone who's probably more like him than his own son, more like him than Kakarot. Maybe that's not a good thing. But he doesn't feel bad, for being so hard on him all the time. It's made him better, stronger, _hasn't it?_ And, although he'd never admit it, gives Vegeta a reason to keep training.

The older Saiyan stands up, "Goten."

"Hm?"

"Recover. I will not give you an edge tomorrow." He turns his back to him and leaves.

Goten rolls his eyes, _of course._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another shorter chapter :p I almost tacked this one on to the last one, but I really wanted to tweak the dialogue more before I put it out. 
> 
> I have the final paragraph of this story written and a vague idea of some upcoming key events. But nothing else between here and there, so strap in kids, it's gonna be a helluva ride!
> 
> also the spacing between lines might look a little strange, but I couldn't figure out how to fix it :O


	8. Holiday Cheer

_Did I just have a heart to heart with Vegeta?_

  
Uncomfortable pangs of guilt begin to creep up on him but they are quickly pushed somewhere deep down by raw desire and angry justification. _Nothing I do to him will be as bad as anything he has done before coming to earth_. Although, he doesn't know that for a fact because Vegeta never talks about it. Not anymore. S _till, he used training as an excuse to beat the shit out of me when I was younger. He's still the reason my father left. He doesn't deserve my sympathy._ Something doesn't sit right, he can't convince himself; he has to play it on repeat over and over again in his head until he can. It hardly works though. Every time Goten looks at the full Saiyan during training or while brooding in his customary way around Capsule Corps, his resolve to hate him weakens just a little bit, replaced by something a little... _softer._

  
As the raw unfettered anger that has encased him for so long begins to melt around the person who had put it there, so does his courage and willingness, despite necessity, to try and deceive him again.

  
Partly because he hasn't decided what to do with the unsalvageable torn bloodied gi which now lay crumpled up in the corner of his closet. _I really had intended on keeping it..._

Partly because he relied on chance the first time and chance hasn't been favorable. Vegeta's lapses in judgement are not only few and far between but they also rarely work out in _anyone's_ favor. He knows he can't rush in to this. It has to be the perfect moment.  

Partly because... he doesn't want Vegeta to think about his father anymore which, Goten is sure he's been doing. And not in his usual cursing angry fashion either. He didn't say anything and that was worse. It bothered him that the credit of being a great lay was stolen from him and given to that idiot run away excuse of a Saiyan who was the absolute worst, and last person he'd want his accomplishments to be given to, despite being necessary under the circumstances _._ _Vegeta! I'm stronger than him. I'm faster than him. I'm smarter than him, I'm BETTER than him._ That fucked him up the most. He wanted those damn compliments for himself!

  
So he waits and lets it all eat at him.

Slowly but surely, his midnight strokes stray further from the memory and edge closer to fantasy because even though it had _felt good_ , it didn't _feel good_. He has to replace his fathers name with his own. He has to imagine a softer conversation, one where he didn't get his nose broken. Instead of replaying the memory of a rushed desperate one night stand, Goten's mind creates a more familiar way of meeting, usually, a training session. _No, always a training session._

  
He imagines the sexual tension growing higher with every hit, distracted glances, every bead of sweat the focus of his attention, every soft touch, every subtle expression of deep seated lust. Hot, slow and satisfying and always Vegeta calls his name.

He doesn't even try to hide his stares now when they train for real. It doesn't matter. Vegeta doesn't notice. He never noticed. Too caught up in his own pain.

 

\---

 

After Trunks gives a sloppy but well received speech at the holiday party he realizes he's already fucked up and he hasn't even had a chance to find Goten and harass him about why he didn't bring his new beau. There's music and dancing, food and laughter. He knows his mother would be proud. The thought doesn't linger long before he too is distracted by the festivities.

  
When he finally finds a moment to sift through the crowd of employees and family friends, he has a new drink in hand and is red cheeked. He over hears an equally drunk Mr. Breif attempting conversation with a scowling and unreceptive Vegeta about the future of a CC weapons department, _were he to get involved, of course._

  
If Trunks had paid more attention he would have known that something was off. He might have noticed that his father was particularly sober. Which wouldn't be unusual, except that this is one of the few times a year where even Vegeta let loose... He says it's for the memory of his wife. _She did love her parties..._ But maybe deep down he did like to enjoy himself on occasion.

  
If Trunks paid more attention in general, he might have noticed that lately the full saiyan has been starting to fray at the seems; he hasn't been sleeping right; he's been training harder than usual and for longer hours, sometimes with Goten, but mostly without. He might have seen Vegeta reach for the liquor, then hesitate and quietly decide against it.

  
Of course he wouldn't have known the reasons why. Vegeta's concern that he could no longer distinguish reality from dreams; the worry that he was finally snapping. 

   
But Trunks isn't paying attention. So the Capsule Corp heir is bubbling with laughter instead of worry at the sight of a scowling sober Vegeta among a crowd of drunk happy people while he struggles to find his other half.

  
At some point a new element added herself to the equation and he is almost unable to stand now because she is hanging all over him trying very indiscreetly to drag him off somewhere more secluded, but Trunks insists, he must see Goten first.

  
"Ten, Ten, Ten, Ten." He bumps into the Son and makes him spill half his drink. He quickly pulls him into the kitchen away from the crowd.

  
"What, Trunks? You finally decided she's not enough Saiyan for you?" Pan sticks out her tongue at him and whispers something in Trunks' ear which makes his face glow brighter red.

  
"Pan!" He shakes her off, "Why don't you make my best friend here another drink, instead. Since you spilled it." Pan shoots daggers at him but complies.

  
"Actually, you spilled it." Goten smirks.

  
He ignores the younger half, "I think I'm gonna marry her."

  
"You said that at last year's party too."

  
"Yeah, but this time, it's for real, she's like-" he slurs and Goten can't understand what he says after that.

  
"Oh shit, 'Ten, I almost forgot! Where's your new boy toy?"

Goten glares at his older half. But the image of Trunks keeps swaying in his vision and his anger melts breaking into a sarcastic smile, _Fuck, I really didn't mean to pound down three bottles like that..._ but here he is all the same, soaked in liquid happiness. At least that's what it feels like right now.

   
"He and I are having an off week."

"Yeah? He 'not enough Saiyan for you'?" Trunks snorts and throws his arm around Goten turning him towards the doorway and points across the living room.

"You're not missing out. Look, it's a saiyan in his natural habitat."

  
_Oh, I'm definitely not missing out._ Goten hadn't been obsessively tracking Vegeta's ki, but he was far more aware of him than Trunks was at the moment.

  
It's still quite a site though. A destroyer of worlds, a notorious planet conqueror, a war torn child soldier turned ruthless mercenary, turned single parent on a backwater mudball, standing with rigid posture, furrowed brow, trying his best not to rip someone's head off at a holiday party. _Kami, if he weren't such an asshole.... and if i could just manage to-_

  
"What a fucking square.'" Trunks can't help but let out a burst of laughter. It's a chain reaction and soon the both of them are doubled over and out of breath by the time Pan returned.

  
"Merry Christmas, Uncle 'ten." She pushes a drink into his hand.

He sips on it and nearly spits it out.

"What did you put in this?" She just laughs at him.

"I thought you could take anything."

He downs the rest of it in one go and exhales with a sour taste in his mouth. "Uhg, what was that?"

"I'll never tell. But trust me, it'll get you to where you need to be."

"I'm already where I need to be-"

They are are interrupted by a high pitch squealing that makes Goten's heart drop into his stomach. _My night was going so well..._

"'TEEEEN!"

  
"Trunks, how could you betray me? You told me she was staying at college through the break." Trunks just shrugs and takes a step back. Goten doesn't even try to avoid the flash of blue careening through the room. He lets it smash into him knocking him to the floor.

  
"Hiya Pan!"

  
"Hey Bra." She rolls her eyes, "Did you stay out of trouble this year?"

  
"Of course!" Her glee nauseates everyone in the room.

Goten wheezes beneath her trying to catch his breath again, struggling to dislodge her knees from his rib cage.

"Trunks!" she pouts, "You didn't tell me 'Ten would be here!"  Trunks steps back from mess that is his sister.

"I was worried for his safety."

  
She stands up and dusts herself off before offering Goten her hand. "Goten's not in any danger around me." She winks at him. He shudders a little bit remembering how hard she tried last year, and the year before... and the year before that. His panicked eyes search for an exit, or something he could use as a distraction, a weapon even. _Desperate times call for desperate measures!_ If she didn't try to kill him, Vegeta certainly would. He had to escape.

  
"Oh leave 'im alone will you? Can't you see he's not interested in brats?" But Trunks has already abandoned the issue and has slumped into a chair with Pan in his lap.

  
She glared at her brother, "Takes one to know one."

"Bra, how many times do I have to tell you." He tries to untangle her body from his arm. "I'm not-"

"You don't have to play coy with me, 'Ten." She leans in to whisper in his ear, "I'm eighteen now."

He sends a desperate plea to Trunks only to see that Pan has silently used the commotion to move in for the kill. Trunks mouths "I'm sorry" with a smile despite being dragged off to Kami-knows-where. They disappeared out the glass kitchen door to the outside leaving him alone with-

"'Ten, there's music, won't you dance with me? Just once dance. Then I'll leave you alone."

No matter where he looked there seemed to be big ocean eyes and lushes sky colored curls in the way. The undefeatable weapons that could get her anything she wanted, except for Goten.

"Bra, I'm really not intereste-"

She yanks him into the party and pulls him up against her very curvy chest.

"I know, 'Ten, you don't like girls."

"You knew that? Since when?"

"Since forever! You're not exactly some great mystery of the Universe. There's only two reasons a man doesn't like me."

"What's the other reason?"

"Let's not get into that." She runs her hand a little lower down his back.

"Bra, please-" She pressed a finger to his lips.

"Once dance. You promised."

 _I did no such thing._ They turn slowly in silence for a moment. _We're spinning awfully fast._

"If you knew, why do you try so hard to-"

"If I wanted you, I wouldn't have to try." She snipes. "It's just fun to see you get so riled up." She shimmied and batted her lashes at him. "And Trunks told me... you had a problem. I couldn't resist." She pressed him closer.

"He what?!"

"Relax, 'Ten. Dance with me. Tell me about your 'problem'" He looks around nervously for Vegeta who was now watching them with an unreadable expression. _I'm going to get my ass handed to me._ He tries to escape her grip, but none of his training has prepared him for this. He can't risk powering up but he considers it when he feels her fingers clamp down on his sides. _  
_

  
"It's not your concern."

  
"Oh come on 'Ten. Who else are you gonna talk to about these things? Gohan?" His eyes filled with contempt for her. "You at least have to finish dancing with me."

  
"I- your dad is watching us." _And I'm a lot more interested in him than you._

  
"I don't care."

He screams internally. _This bitch will not give up!_

"So tell me, are you breaking every boy you sleep with or what? Just can't scratch that itch?"

"Bra!" He tries to tear himself away but she's quick and that drink is starting to kick in.

"What? Am I wrong?"  He furrows his brow and glares at her. "I didn't think so."

"So, what? Are you just gonna try to fuck my problems away?"

"You're not my type, bottom bitch." She sneers at him.

He throws his head back in disbelief, "Ha! Well, you could have fooled anyone in a fifty mile radius! You're practically forcing yourself on me! Are those humans not enough for you either or something? Can't they handle how much of a whore you are? Is that really why you try so hard?"

"You know what? Thanks, 'Ten. Maybe, just maybe, you're not exactly the only half-Saiyan with stress management issues. And maybe I even had a few solutions to offer you, but now, since you've been so rude, I've changed my mind."

"What? What could you possible have to offer me? Haven't you had charges pressed against you? Why should I trust anything you offer me?"

She looked almost ready to slap him, "Who told you that??" Goten's expression affirms her suspicions. "Hmph. Well, it's not like I have access to the best scientific minds and latest technology. You're right, there must be nothing I can offer you"

  
His eyes widen and his mouth opens slightly in shock. She smiles smugly at him.

"T-Trunks could-"

"He doesn't even know what he's looking for, he doesn't have problems. Maybe it's something I've been working on myself, you don't know. Maybe if you'd been nice and danced with me like I wanted you would've had a quick fix."

He looks back towards Vegeta but he isn't there any more.

  
"What's a matter? Forgot to keep a close eye on your surroundings?"

His eyes start scanning the room, but there's no need. There's a chill on his neck and he knows exactly where the last full Saiyan is. He sees Bra's face light up and feels yet another hand clamp down hard on him, finger tips digging painfully into his shoulder.

  
"I hope I'm not interrupting." The gruff voice behind him makes him wince.

The fear in his eyes is palpable, but she only smiles back at him. _This is what she wanted. For rejecting her all these years. This blue... she-demon. She planned my murder._

"Papa!" She unlocks herself from Goten. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Bra."

The half Saiyan musters the courage to turn his head. His blood runs cold because Vegeta is attempting to smile. It's not the same kind of smile you see on anyone other than a former mass murderer and it's one of his more unsettling expressions. _The larger than average canines really don't help._

  
"Are you staying out of trouble?"

"Yes, papa!"

"Good. I hope you enjoy the party." She nods and dashes off into the crowd towards the food. Goten attempts to makes a similar motion.

"Not you." He pulls Goten against the wall and blocks him in with one arm, "What were you doing with my daughter?"

 _It's so strange being intimidated by someone a foot shorter than you._ "N-nothing."

"Nothing?"

He nods.

"That did not look like 'nothing.' Are you are not interested in my daughter?"

"No! I promise!" He holds his hands up trying to brace for the blow he knows is coming.

"Why do you let her act like that around you if you are not interested. It is disgraceful. To both of you."

He lowers his hands, _not the reply I expected,_ he laughs nervously.

"You think I will not approve?"  

"No- that's really not it." _  
_

"Then what is it?" _You have made an absolute embarrassment out of her at the last three holiday parties. I should be pounding you for this...._ but he's too exhausted.

"I-You really don't know?"

"Know what?" He huffs with frustration.

They stare at each other for a few moments and Vegeta leans in closer with a rare perplexed expression.

"Vegeta, you've trained with me since I was ten. You see me almost every day." He slurs the last few words. _That drink is really kicking in._

  
The shorter Saiyan looks at him expectantly. Waiting for him to elaborate. Goten can see all the tiny worry lines just starting to form. _He hardly looks a day over 25_. He can't deny how handsome he is even when he looks so tired. He notes the slight darkness around his eyes. _Fuck it._   _Can't hurt to try._

  
"I thought you had honed Saiyan instincts." he runs his fingers along the edge of Vegeta's angular jawline. The full saiyan twitches and pulls back slightly.

  
"What ar-"

He doesn't get to finish because Goten has pulled him in to a sloppy alcohol soaked college-boy kiss. There is a short moment where Goten is sure he has succeeded. That Vegeta is finally his. But then a hand presses gently on his chest and pushes him back.

  
Vegeta's expression is complex and difficult to diffuse. The only two emotions he can pinpoint for sure are discomfort and confusion. Goten is just a little bit too past his limit to catch the rest. And then Vegeta is gone. _Did I just-_

 

He looks around. The party is winding down and no one is paying him any attention. Bra, Trunks, Pan none of them are anywhere to be seen. _Thank Kami._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god this took forever. Went through maybe a hundred different endings too. In the end I decided I had to get this out so I could start on the next chapters, which are about to be hella fun.  
> Bra is my favorite character to write so far. haaa.


	9. Dilation

_Let's take a Step Back... and Forward..._

 

  
It's the night of Bulma's funeral and Goku is flying at break neck speed to the first place he can think of for a moment of peace and quiet. He lands on Kami's look out with out a sound. Dende lifts his head from his garden and smiles softly. Goku is on the verge of tears and sits on the edge pressing his face into his hands. He finally lets out a quiet sob.

  
"I didn't see you at the funeral."

He lets out a frustrated tear soaked noise. "Yeah, I didn't want to be there" he says sharper than he means. He rubs at his face trying to dry the streaks away, "I'm... going to miss Bulma. I am, she was my best friend for... a long time. But... that's just not how I do things."

  
Dende nods his head in silence, a bit out of place for a conversation like this, "Do you wish to speak to Piccolo? He is still on earth still but I can call him here."

"No. No, I don't really want to talk to anyone right now."

Dende smiles with understanding, "You can use the chamber any time you wish. Take all the time you need."

Goku ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "I don't want to go in there. I don't... want to train right now." _It's caused enough problems this week._ Being in the endless void... wasn't exactly appealing.

  
Dende bows and walks away.

  
Goku tries to remember the last time he happy, the last time he felt...not alone, not alien. He can't help the same place coming to mind over and over despite trying to push it away. But he's never been one for denial. So he gives in. _Of course it would be the last place we-_   He raises two fingers to his forehead and disappears.

  
He reappears tens of thousands of light years away. Further than he knows the other can reach him without amplifying their ki sensing abilities. He's always been the best at it.

  
His boots touch down onto soft violet colored grass. He is on a hill where a small pack of brown fuzzy creatures with several black beady eyes skitter away from his sudden arrival. He spots a small village at the bottom of the hill and walks towards it. The gravity is heavy here, much heavier than on earth. _Good place for meditation_ , he thinks. He plans only to stay for a few weeks, a couple months at most. _Then I can train with Vegeta again on earth... Like nothing happened. Like nothing ever happened. Just like he wants_. _But first I need... a moment away_ because it's always been easy to do that. To leave.

  
It's exactly what he had hopped for and just what he wanted for the first few weeks. The locals agree to give him a few tools to build his own shelter out in the wilderness in exchange for a little heavy lifting around town _._ It's not long before he is spending full days just doing long practiced Kata's under the heavy air. Every now and then he thinks he feels the flicker of a familiar Ki somewhere far away. Though he doesn't understand why anyone would be looking for him. It's not the first... _or probably the last..._ time he's done something like this. He supposes that it wasn't fair to his sons, to just up and leave. They might be used to it, but he should be getting home soon. _I should get back for them...  
_

  
He soaks up the last of the rays from the dual red suns this planet enjoys, while several moons begin to rise, eclipsing the view of the galaxy. He's never seen a place so beautiful. Deep azure lakes with colorful corals and fish enjoying the cool crispness of the water, a bright orange sky that seemed to glow with red clouds. But the stars are enough to convince him it isn't home. The loneliness that inevitably begins to creep on him is enough to convince him that this isn't where he should be right now. _  
_

  
It is about the time he is thinking of staying just a little longer when an elder of the town a few miles away shows up. These people are kind and some of the most peaceful he's ever encountered. It's a shame their planet is a target for poaching. _Th_ _ose little fuzzy creatures do taste delicious,_ he licks his lips thinking about them.

"Hello."

Goku touches back down to the ground, wiping the sweat from his brow and smiles wide at the old man.

"You are quite the talk of our village."

"Ha ha, still? I've been here a little while."

"Yes. Last time you came with your friend, didn't you? Another soldier?"

Goku frowns at the reminder, although it was why he picked this planet over the dozens of others he'd visited over the years taking occasional odd jobs with the Galaxy patrol for extra cash and well, _an excuse to get away._

"You came alone this time."

  
"This planet is beautiful. I wanted to see it again." _  
_

  
The old man nods and smiles, "We wanted to thank you, again. For everything you've done."

  
"It's nothing."

  
The man hands him a small container of green soupy looking liquid.

  
His Saiyan appetite wakes up, "Oh! Thanks, what's this?"

"We noticed you like to eat, it's a delicacy on our planet."

  
He tilted his head back and swallowed it all in his usual fashion.

  
He regretted it. Goku was not a picky eater, but his stomach was immediately a bit unsettled by the foul slimy flavors of whatever that was.

  
"Delicious." he says barely holding back an expression of disgust.

"We can make you more."

"Oh no, It would be too much- really, it was... great." He hands the container back to the man and looks up at the brilliant night sky.

"Where's your planet?"

It's takes Goku a few moments to find it. He senses with some trouble, it's so far, but he is able to point to a rough direction in the sky, "It's there... But you can't see it."

  
"You spend a lot of time looking at the sky here."

"It looks so different. I've never seen the stars move this quickly."

"Our planet is closer the center of the galaxy. Everything around us moves quickly. Except for time."

  
"Hm?" 

"I have never been off this planet, but from what I understand we're close to the center, it's why the stars-"

Goku sits up, "what did you say before about time?"

  
"It's... slower, I believe."

"Slower?" Goku stared at him with his usual foolish grin. _That's impossible._

"Yes, I think so. We've had outsiders mention it to us... you didn't notice on your last visit?"

"What?"

  
He tries to remember.

"No, I don't-" He thinks back to not quite a year ago, when he was here last. It was the last time they had- _What did Vegeta say?_ They had only been here for a few hours, not quite the whole day. It didn't take long to scare away some poachers. _Afterwards we went to the lakes-_   He had been so... happy, until Vegeta said they couldn't stay here. He knew he was right. _It hadn't seemed so strange when we IT-ed back to Earth.._.. Their kids were shocked when they got back, he remembered that much... _But I was still distracted by the time we spent here, the lakes, the sky, and... Vegeta_. Bulma, she was mad, _she was still alive_... _was it Goten who mentioned something about it having been weeks? almost... two mon- No. no, no no,_ he could not have _\- It couldn't- Not possible! NO!!_

  
"I need to leave." The realization was sudden and came out rude. It didn't matter to Goku. He was used to sudden exits and so were the people around him. He tapped two fingers to his forehead and disappeared from the man's sight.

  
He reappeared back on earth. It's green and lush, early spring time... _It was late fall when I left._ He knows which Ki he searched for but he doesn't see her. He looks around and recognizes mount Paozu... but it looks different, the house... more worn, _was the paint always chipping like that?_   There's a figure hanging up laundry with her back to him. Her hair is almost completely gray and she looks much older than she should for just a few months... He approaches her quietly, hesitantly, nervously. When she turns around all the color drains from her face and she collapses. He barely manages to catch her.

  
"Chi-Chi?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this doesn't feel like too much of a dues ex. I'd been planning the time dilation since the beginning more or less, kinda playing in to that "so typically goku" vibe ha, not dumb, but makes really impulsive decisions without thinking. Also I did a little math, he spent just about "3 months" on that planet. Each "day" there works out to about 60 days back on earth.
> 
> I know this one's a bit short... I had a little trouble finding Goku's voice :\ It'll come through clearer now that he's back on earth with more familiar characters I think.


	10. Ready... Fight!

Two weeks. Two weeks since the party and Vegeta has successfully evaded him. He has canceled on all of their spars and training. Cancel being used loosely here, since there is no notice he simply doesn't show up. When he does, the chamber is already locked and turned up and doesn't turn off again until it has to in order to avoid overheating.

  
The rare moments Goten found the GR unoccupied were unsatisfying at best and self destructive at worst. At this rate he was only improving out of spite. He felt like he was unraveling. Unable to keep his energy within his own grasp. Everything he did usually ended in frustrated venting. By the end sometimes he was just blasting the same broken bot until it completely disintegrated.

  
The few times Goten has managed to catch Vegeta walking through the halls, the full Saiyan doesn't say a word. He just walks past him, ignoring every uncomfortable word out of the half Saiyan's mouth.

  
"When are we going to spar?"

  
"I'm missing out on training time"

  
"Are you going to at least let me use the GR on my own?"

  
"You know... about what happened..."

  
"We'll say it never happened."

 _H_ _ow infuriating! He does that same twitch his father does._ Goten reaches back to rub his neck with nervous laughter.

"I didn't mean it..."

"I was just drunk"

"Vegeta

Vegeta?

Vegeta!"

He doesn't even care of it's sincere or not. A part of him is sure it isn't. Though he's not sure why. He just knows that he has to get away from the half Saiyan. _Why did they both- He may be the carbon copy of Kakarot, but- What the fuck does he think he's doing? Is he trying to make the same mistakes? I don't understand these two idiots! How can they be so different and so exactly the same!?_ He can feel the half Saiyan's energy outside the door. He's been doing this every day for a week and Vegeta can hardly focus on the kata he's doing. _I have to stop this before it starts._  
  
Goten lets out a huff of boredom. He's been sitting at the door of the gravity chamber for several hours now, waiting. There is a loud thud behind him. It shakes the ground. _He's only got about fifteen minutes left before it shuts off, five if he keeps that up._ Goten has no idea what he's going to say this time, nothing has worked so far, but he has to do something. Vegeta was his access to ninety percent of the training equipment. _That's all that seems to matter to either of us anyway..._

  
The humming ceases and Goten perks up. The door hisses open and Vegeta looks down at him.

  
"What do you want?"

"I wanted to train."

"You want to train?"

Goten hesitantly nods his head.

"Tch." He walks past him and heads towards the kitchen door. Goten follows close on his heels.

  
"But I can't if you keep locking yourself in there until it shuts off! When am I supposed to-" Vegeta whips around before Goten can reach out for him.

  
"What do you want?!"

  
"I want-" he struggles to get the words out. The sweat dripping _so slowly_ down Vegeta's chest was not helping the situation.

  
The full Saiyan shakes his head. "I do not know what I have done to give you any indication that my interests in you are _anything_ other than shaping you as a warrior, but I assure you that is not the case and I can not train you anymore."

"I don't need your tra- I don't- I just want... I'm so- Fuck, Vegeta! I just can't seem to-"

"Can't seem to what, brat?!"

"Everyone breaks! Every... I can't... I can't find any satisfaction. There is no one strong enough for me to... you know... Especially when I'm- Vegeta, I nearly killed the last guy I was with. I just... I don't know... what to do..." He trails off knowing he has to stop or he'll say too much.

  
Vegeta's face begins to turn red with embarrassment. "Isn't this more a conversation for Trunks or Gohan?" _Or ANYONE else?_ He tries to walk away but Goten keeps following him.

  
"No! They are weak compared to me! _" Compared to you..._ "I mean... I've asked. But, Trunks has Pan and Gohan he- I don't know. Videl is strong, really strong for a human. They just don't seem to have this problem."

  
"What on Earth makes you think that I do?" _I can not believe I'm suggesting this outright,_ "Why don't you talk to Bra about this. She is half Saiyan and she-"

  
"Vegeta! For the last time! I am not interested in your daughter. Not only is she a crazy bitch but sh-" Goten is not prepared for the instantaneous fist to his eye socket.

"How dare you talk about her that way!" Before his head snaps back, Vegeta already has his arm cocked back ready to land another blow, but he hesitates when Goten stumbles back and doesn't take a stance. The half saiyan just slumps against the rounded wall of the GR, defeated.

  
"I'm sorry. I just meant that she's... Fuck. She's struggling as much as I am." he looks at the older saiyan who has managed to hold back, "I didn't mean to say that about her. Sorry..." Vegeta doesn't move, staring at his face intently.

"Choose your next words carefully, boy."

"I- do you have any advice?" He waits for Vegeta to relax but he never does, "What... about when you were with Bulma?" the full Saiyan visibly tenses at her name, "I mean, she never did any martial arts, she didn't fight. How- how did... you avoid hurting her?" _Before moving on to my father, of course._

  
Vegeta's eyes search the half saiyan's face for a reason to hit him again, but he relaxes, not finding any then shrugs with discomfort.

  
"I don't know what to tell you." he pauses and his glare softens just a little, "I did..." _especially at first_ _and sometimes even after I had learned that humans were soft._ But she never asked him to stop only that he stay with her. He smirked at the memories, then frowned, _...Sharing her bed with a Saiyan probably didn't help her early de-fuck fuck fuck fuck-no, don't think about that-_ Vegeta briefly shook his head and shifted his thoughts instead to the young man in front of him.

  
"I'm sure you'll grow out of it." 

  
"What? I'll 'grow out of it?' I'm 23!"

  
"You are barely out of adolescence for a Saiyan."

  
"I'm only half Saiyan! I'm an adult! I have a life, I want to have a life, I don't want to be an ascetic asshole who trains all day like you!"

  
"Tch. Maybe if you did you wouldn't have these problems."

  
"A-are you fucking serious? Just train? It's your answer to everything! Isn't it? Bad day? Train. Anger issues? Train. Father's gone and your life is falling apart? Train. Not getting fucked the way you like, train. That's always the fucking answer!" and he's starting to believe him.

  
"So you lied then? You don't want to train!? Then what the fuck do you want?!" He couldn't stand this conversation anymore. It was driving him to think about things that hadn't bothered him for a long time. His relationship with Kakarot had always been complicated and wrought with issues, he thought about it often because _that fucker is still out there._ But Bulma... she was gone, so soon, and they had made it work til the end, even though it had been difficult... he still had things he wished he could have said to her, he still had regrets he'd never been able to fix _._.. and he hated being reminded.

  
"I don't... want more than you'd be willing to give. I'm not looking for- I just really need something- someone to take the edge off and I figured... since you don't have anyone either..."

It should have occurred to him as strange; that Goten would ask him _for that_. But he knows little of Earth's social culture, he is alien, and disregards the notion that it was odd for another male to proposition him under the circumstances. His wife had passed after all and he knew he was still attractive. It was only strange and on that note completely unacceptable that it had been Goten in particular. He had done his best to raise Trunks and Goten both, as brothers. He doesn't understand how Goten could even consider something like this and it made him feel more than uncomfortable especially considering who he looked like.

"Absolutely not. This conversation is over. In fact" he exhales sharply, "I think you should go home, Goten."  

  
\---

  
An hour later Goten is in the guest room he has lived in since childhood packing. He is slouched over a duffel bag trying to put off the inevitable. Not that he wanted to stay here in the awkward atmosphere but he didn't want to go home either. He was inwardly pissed Vegeta didn't take him up on it.  _You were eager enough to jump my father at the first sign of him._ Then again, he wasn't his father, as much as everyone else wanted to think otherwise. He sorted through the various clothes idly until he found himself staring at orange. _At least I got one good run out of it._ He puts on one of the faded blue weighted sweat bands and snorts at how light it is. _I can't believe he trained in this._ The stain down the front of the gi was the worst of the damage. The rips and tears were not as bad as he thought. _Honestly, if we fought again before hand, they could be overlooked._ _Maybe I could still-_

  
He gets up and starts running hot water in the bathroom sink. Even though the blood had dried the water turns pink as soon as the cloth hits it. He starts running a piece of soap along the fabric. The stains begin to lighten but it's hardly enough. He tries to remember where dad picked up new gis, _was it that old man Roshi? Is he still alive?_ His thoughts are interrupted by a light tapping at the bedroom door.

  
His pulse quickens when he realizes who it is. He quickly starts trying to drain the sink and figure out if he should leave the soaked shirt here or throw it somewhere. His rush makes him sloppy and now there's water everywhere. He slips and hits the floor with a thud.

  
The knocking continues, "Goten." says a stern quiet voice.

  
"Yeah just a sec-" he scrambles to his feet and starts trying to pick all the pieces of the gi.

"Goten?" he starts to open the door.

He throws them out of sight behind his bed and sprints to the door to keep it from opening all the way.

"I'm packing. I thought you wanted me to leave." Vegeta presses on the door but Goten pushes back.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, everything's fine, I- I don't-" _fuck_ , Goten releases his hold on the door. "What do you want?"

"I've changed my mind." He speaks quickly and quietly. "Not about- I've decided I will continue to train you." He looks at the floor with a scowl. _Gohan always had the Namekian...But Goten... If I don't at least try to guide this pain in the ass... "_ I know... control is an issue. It... was for me too." _  
_

  
"Oh." There was a long awkward pause.

  
"You don't have to. I will not force you."

  
"No, no. It's not that. I - uh- thanks, Vegeta." Goten tries his best to stand in the doorway and block the view of his room. Vegeta nodded and looked Goten's awkward posture up and down.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Nothing is going on. I'm just... packing."

"You are soaking wet."

"Yeah... Well..."

"What are you doing?"

Goten laughs nervously, "N-nothing!" He presses his hand against the door frame and Vegeta immediately notices the blue cloth on his wrist. Goten follows his line of sight. _Damn it!!_

  
"You... you kept those?" _Seems more like something Gohan would do._ "Did you keep the whole thing?"

  
"I... uh-" _fuck, what do I say?_ "No... it's-"

Vegeta pushes the door wide open and searches with curiosity around the room.

  
"Why is your floor wet?"

Goten's voice drops, he can't even get out a stutter. _I never freeze._ Yet he stands there and lets Vegeta push past him. Careful dark eyes spot orange and an unfamiliar expression is painted across the normally sour face. Goten's first reaction is to charge up a small ki blast and throw it at the gi but Vegeta blocks it with ease.

  
"What are you trying to do? start another fight?" Haven't you had enough for one day?" He looks at the soaking shirt and sees red down the center.

  
"I-impossible." _I_ _t had been real!?!_

  
Panic seizes Goten. He didn't not have time to prepare for a fight like the one he was about to get. He must find a way out.

  
"He's here? Why do you have this?! You found this? Where?! Where did you find this?!" Vegeta starts backing him into the wall.

  
"I-" he can't help the nervous laughter that keeps escaping him. "It's an ol-"

  
"Where did you find this?" Vegeta's eyes are wide and accusing. "Kakarot came back that night I-" _No. He couldn't have. Goten. You- that morning- that sneer, saying I'd broken my nose. If Kakarot never-_ Then there was an audible snapping from inside Vegeta's head, "You-"  _I admitted things- I did things- and Goten had- That means he let me- He let me-_ His vision starts going red. "You son of a bitch!" he growls and flashes in to super Saiyan launching at Goten.

  
The half Saiyan was taken through three walls. Vegeta's sudden barrage of hits is uncoordinated but they are hard and heavy. Over and over again his fists land on Goten's face, his energy is surging crackling in the air around them. Goten manages to block the worst of them but even the ones that make it through are of bone cracking strength. He was not prepared to face the consequences so soon.

  
He manages to power up and get a hard elbow into Vegeta's jaw knocking his head to the side disrupting his volley. His first thought is to try and make a break for it but Vegeta is faster and angrier. He catches him and pins him onto his stomach.

  
"You think- You fuckin' think you can mess with other people's lives? Who the fuck are you? I fucking raised you!"

  
He grips Goten's hair and pulls up lifting the upper half of his body off the floor. Goten struggles to reach back, trying to break Vegeta's grip. He screams out in agony as the full saiyan pulls harder. He can hear his back starting to pop while blood drips in a steady stream from his mouth to a pool on the ground.

  
"You piece of shit! I gave you everything I gave to Trunks! And this is how-" He can't even get out the words as he slams Goten's face into the floor, "You knew!? How did you know?!" His deep gruff voice was cracking under the volume and the weight of realization.

  
"Ahh! I heard you! AHHH, I heard you say it! I AHH! You were dreaming so I didn't-" Vegeta pulls up on his hair harder, "I didn't know for sure until- I thought- Ahhh I thought if I could just-"

  
"You could just pretend and get what you want and I'd never know?! Too fucked up to realize what's happening?!" He roars into his ear. While slamming one of his fists into Goten's liver and kidneys. As soon as the punches stop Goten feels the warm fizzing of electricity behind him.

  
He waits for his execution. He feels heat near him but it never touches his skin. Instead, the air around him fills with the most putrid smell he's ever breathed, like rotting meat and burning trash, then his face hits the floor. He feels Vegeta's palm around the back of his head _._ He leans into Goten and whispers against his ear in a deadly voice, a voice he used before coming to earth, "I'll make sure you never-"

He can't finish what he's saying because it is at that moment that the whole world stops. An energy level they haven't felt in years suddenly blinks into existence.

  
It's quiet at first, Vegeta's dry mirthless laughter, but it grows louder, almost manic until he interrupts himself, "He always had good timing" He rolls off of the half Saiyan and fights the instinct to rush off into the sky. "Go home. Don't ever come back here." _I'll wait for him to come find me this time.  
_

  
Goten stands up, his left eye already swollen shut. His nose was broken again and his lip was split in two places. He lifted his hand to his hair. _I can't go home like this._

  
He backs away slowly then breaks into a sprint across the yard until he clears CC property and takes off.

  
He can't see where he's going.  Far too much blood, sweat and swelling all over his face. He knows where he should go but he's headed in the opposite direction. He feels Gohan's energy and tries to avoid him. It's too late, he's been sensed and Gohan damn near flies right into him.

  
"'Ten! 'Ten, did you feel it? Why are you heading thi- what the hell happened to you?!"  _Right on cue, protective brother._ His voice even drops an octave, "Oh my G- Did Vegeta do this?! Kami, Goten! What th-"

"Shut up, Gohan! Shut up! Don't... don't fuckin' worry about it right now. It wasn't- It's just from training. Ran out of senzu beans."

 _Is that really what his training looks like these days?_ His brother was agitated but let it go, a little too wound up by the other energy that had just appeared. _Maybe it looked worse than it was,_ Gohan would try to get it out of him later, "Where were you going?"

"I... Can I stay with you?"

"Yes. Of course." he sighed, _t_ _hat is not from 'just training,'_   "'Ten, you felt it right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you coming to Paozu?"

"Like this?" he could feel the blood caking around his nose and mouth.

Gohan's brow furrowed, "It's dad."

Goten nodded weakly and they flew off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The smell of burning hair has got to be one of the worst.
> 
> I feel like vegeta was a little ooc here, eh. Hope the inner thoughts weren't too hard to follow!


	11. Blame

  
When they touch down he can feel both his mother's and father's ki softly resonating from inside the house. Gohan all but sprints inside.

  
"Aren't you coming?"

  
"No... I... need a minute."

  
Gohan does try to hide the pity in his voice, even though he's terrible at it, "Yeah. I'll make sure they know you're here."

  
"I'm sure he knows." Goten rolls his one open eye and heads towards a small stream not far from the house. He flops on to the river bank and looks at his reflection in the water. _I look even worse than I feel._

  
\----

  
Gohan walks in the house with a soft painful smile and tears already threatening to break loose.

  
"Father!"

Goku stands up from the table and embraces him. "Gohan?! Gohan, kami you've changed so much."

  
Goku releases him and holds him by the shoulders. He looks at his wife who was sitting across from him, "Chi Chi tells me Pan starts college this year."

Tears are now streaming freely down the eldest son's cheeks, "Yes, she's all grown, she's doing great, we're so p.. we're so.." He pulls his father back into a hug. "Dad, where have you been? We missed you."

"I... lost track of time."

Gohan had never thought his father was particularly smart. He often wondered just how much head trauma he had suffered as a child and then as a martial artist... Regardless, his excuse was still awful, worse than what he expected him to say... but that was his own fault, he shouldn't have expected anything. This was Goku. So he just keeps hugging him.

  
"Yeah. Of course, Dad. We're... just glad to have you back." When Goku sits back down Chi Chi pours Gohan a cup of coffee.

  
"Where's your brother? Did he come?" Gohan can't quite tell if it's worry or bitterness in her voice.

"He's here. He's by the river I think. He..." Gohan looked at his father who was staring sadly into his empty cup, "needed a moment."

"How is he?" Goku asks without looking up. "He's probably all grown up too, isn't he?"

"Yeah. He's doing... well." Gohan has never been a good liar.

Chi Chi frowns, "Tell him to come inside."

Gohan gets up and heads to the door, but Goku stops him, "I'll get him." He smiles hopefully to his son and wife, "He'll be happy to see me."

As optimistic as he usually is, even Gohan knows that's _wishful thinking_. He follows his dad out the door and pulls him aside, "I didn't want to say this in front of mom." He pauses and looks at his fathers blank care free expression, he can't see the deeper troubled emotions that lie there, "He... he's been training a lot lately... I'm not really sure what happened... but he doesn't look too good right now. Try not to be too shocked, I think it's better if we don't say anything to mom."

  
Goku doesn't understand what that's supposed to mean, _He's injured? He's tired? He's a little bruised?_ He decides not to ask and just nods his head and smiles before walking down.

  
Gohan goes back inside and sits down with his mother who is wiping away tears, "He's exactly the same, isn't he?"

  
\---

  
Goten presses his fingers into his hair again. He could feel several patches where hair had melded together into clumps. He flashes into super saiyan to see how bad the damage is. His proud gravity defiant hair was now half the length, the wild spikes replaced by short jagged chunks of matted hair all slanted slightly to the right, still black in some areas instead of gold.

  
He slumps back into his normal state and tries to at least wash the blood off his face before going inside. The cool water stings his skin. _All this time... I knew he'd been holding back._ He rinses water through his mouth until he starts spitting clear again.

  
When he feels a barely familiar ki approaching he has the sudden urge to blast off. He's not quite ready to face the grim reality yet of what he's done. Not yet ready to look the center of his issues, because he'd never admit that it was himself, in the eye.

  
Goku stands behind him sheepishly and tries to think of something to say to the boy he left behind. He reaches his hand behind his head and rubs nervously, "Hey Goten." _  
_

  
The silence is deafening. _Maybe if I try to talk about... something he likes...._ " So... Gohan tells me you've kept up with training... that's-"

  
"Yeah." He cuts him off already annoyed by how casual he pretends to be about this, "I have been."

  
"We should... spar sometime. You could show me how strong you've gotten."

  
He scoffs, "I'd rather not."

Goku strongly considers walking away. _I should have waited for him to come in... Shouldn't try to force this..._ But he's already here. "Who have you been training with?"

  
"Who the fuck do you think?"

"Hey! watch your-"

"I can say whatever the fuck I want, I don't know you." He turns around finally showing his face.

Goten is shocked at how similar they look. Looked. It wasn't like the pictures, it was like a mirror. He doesn't know why, he knew saiyans didn't age like humans, but he still expected him to look older.

Goku can't hide the instant pain and regret he feels looking at his youngest son's mishapen bloodied face. He can barely recognize him.

  
"My back is worse." _Feels worse anyway._

  
"I'm sure Gohan has senzu, do you-"

"I'm Saiyan, I can sleep it off."

Goku is unnerved by his son's response and inhales shakily. He's still smiling, a plastic artificial smile, in order to force a friendly air that isn't there, "What... kind of training is that from?"

"The beat-the-shit-out-of-each-other kind of training. What does it look like?" He's never felt so irritated by such obvious attempts to force a conversation that wasn't going to happen. _  
_

  
"That uh..." he reaches back and rubs his neck, "doesn't look like it's very good for you..."

  
"Oh?! You would know, huh!?" he snaps back, "Because you train with me every day, right?"

  
Goku is silent. _He reminds me of-_

  
Goten kicks at the rocks on the edge of the bank, "Why did you bother coming back?"

  
A thousand different ways to try and explain away the mistake he made come into Goku's head. He can hear Vegeta's angry words echoing in his ears, ' _so typically Goku.'_ He chooses to avoid the question. "Gohan tells me you're... doing well."

  
"Yeah. I'm sure he did. Just look at me."

  
He racks his brain for things to say to try and figure out how to get his youngest son to open up just a little, "Are you and Trunks still good friends?"

"Yes." _Stop asking questions! You don't care! I don't care!  
_

  
"Are you still in-"

"You know what? I'm done." he stands up, "You're not going to catch up with me in ten minutes. It's been almost fifteen years. You missed it. You missed out." his nose starts bleeding lightly again, "You don't get to know me. Go fuck off. Go 'spar' with Vegeta. That's probably all you came for isn't it?"

  
Goku could feel the waves of anxiety and frustration rolling off of his son. "I didn't come back for a spar, I came back for my family."  

"Tch, I don't know if what happened between you two is sad or just pathetic." _And he's still so desperate for you, if you had any idea-_

"What are you talking about?" Fear was starting to edge in on his unnaturally calm demeanor.

Goten just shook his head, "Ask him yourself." and took off.

Gohan joins his father outside after a few moments. "That was a lot longer than I thought he'd stay."

Goku eyes his eldest son with caution, "Why do you say that?"

"Goten is... He's... had a lot of... he was angry when you left. He's been doing better... But coming back so suddenly... I think he's just still in shock."

"I'll have another chance I guess. He lives here, right?"

Gohan laughed, "No, he hasn't lived here since he was a teenager."

"Where does he-?"

"Capsule Corp, usually. He and Trunks have stayed very close. Although as of today, I think he's staying with me and Videl."

Goku is surprised to hear that and it shows, "When's the last time he was here?"

Gohan hesitates and decides against lying, "about three or four years."

"Chi Chi has no idea then..."

"I think... she does. She never made it easy. Up until today he looked exactly like you. It was hard for her. For all of us."

"What happened?"

"I... he wouldn't tell me." _Although you did return rather suddenly,_ _Goten and Vegeta aren't exactly stable people._ "My guess is he and Vegeta got into another fight."

"Another fight? They fight a lot?"

"They used to. All the time when 'Ten was little, he'd come back from Capsule Corp. crying or upset but never hurt like this... eventually their fights turned into formal training or whatever you want to label the excuses they made up to hit each other... and he started staying there all the time. For better or worse, Vegeta practically raised him." _I should have been there..._

"But he did that to him?"

"I- yeah, I think so. I'm not sure if Vegeta looks any worse or not but I've... I've never seen 'Ten look like that."

Goku wasn't sure if that would really make him feel any better about the situation, to know if those bruises were mutual.

"Hm." Goku nodded. _Something doesn't seem right.  
_

"I'm... I'm going to head home soon. I'll let you know about getting everyone together to welcome you back, alright? my phone's been buzzing off the hook, I'm sure everyone will want to see you!"

"Yeah... Sure."

 

\---

  
Chi Chi is still sitting at the table when he comes back in.

"Where's Goten?"

"He left."

She got up and slammed the bedroom door. She wasn't really mad at him. Or at Goten. But they were the ones who _kept leaving._

After hunting for his own food, Goku slept on the couch that night. He kept thinking about Goten's face and how he would confront Vegeta... _I've already had one disaster of a conversation today... I'll let him come to me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still having a bit of trouble finding Goku's voice I think :\
> 
> Next chapter might take me a little while. Lots of different character interaction and dialogue :pp


	12. Old Habits

Goten is sitting outside against a tree not far from Gohan's extravagant neuvo-rich house that he was sure neither Gohan nor Videl cared much for. _But how can you turn down a gift from daddy in-law if you don't have a spine, right Gohan?_   It was beautiful outside except for the music and noise coming from inside. He could hear Yamcha, Krillin, 18, 17, Tien, Piccolo and someone who was so old, it couldn't have been anyone other than Master Roshi, _I guess he is still alive._ There were several others he didn't recognize. Marron had given him a shy sad smile when he decided to abandon the bullshit and walk outside. It must have been the lack of Saiyan in her, but she didn't have a mean bone in her body. She was so incredibly soft to the point that Goten pitied how hard the reality must be on her sometimes. _Then again, look at me._  
  
He could hear them all bombarding Goku with questions and he could hear the uncomfortable laughter and hilariously under-prepared stumbling responses from his father. Gohan had to step in and explain what dilation even was because Goku sure didn't seem to understand. It all annoyed and frustrated him beyond words. He considered getting up, flying off to the hills for some blast practice. He thought about the wind out there. It had only been a couple days but he already missed the breeze through his hair. His thoughts were interrupted by a buzz from his phone.  
He rolled his eyes, "Oh great. Just who I was hoping."

  
txt  msg

  
Bra:

  
lol heard my dad beat the shit out of you

send me a pic

  
Goten:

  
no fuck off

Who told u

 

Bra:

Word travels fast between our houses

 

_Goddamn it, Pan. Probably told Trunks too._

Goten:

I hate all of you

 

Bra:

o c'mon, send a pic. how much worse than usual can it be?

 

Goten:

then why do you want to see it?

 

Bra:

  
Because I heard it was worse than usual. Like, the worst ever.

 

Goten:

  
What the fuck do you care?

 

Bra:

  
morbid curiosity. I thought he'd do it that night at the party tbh

 

not that it was my intention, of course.

 

Goten:

  
No, of course not. he just asked why i let you act like an embarrassment in front of the company

 

Bra:

  
fuck you, send me a pic

send me a pic and maybe ill help you with ur problem, lover boi

I wanna see pleease?

 

He turned the screen off and tried to ignore the next few minutes of constant buzzing. _Persistant bitch, just has to have everything she wants, doesn't she?_ He huffed out a frustrated sigh and angled his phone for a picture. _Send._ A couple moments later his phone started ringing.

  
"Oh my fuckin- What do you want, Bra?!"

  
"What did you do, 'ten?? I've never seen him do a number like that on you." He could almost see her twisted smile.

  
"Are you gonna help me or what?"

"Is it because Goku came back? I've always suspected you two had some weird proxy hate relationship."

  
"No- Bra, do we have a deal or what? I need-" he looked back at the house and lowered his voice, "I really need this."

  
"Yeah fine. It's in the cc lab, but if you get in there I can explain where it is and how it works."

  
"What? Bra, your dad will kill me if he catches me at CC, just fly here and get it for me."

  
"Nu-uh, I'm back at school now, I have a test tomorrow and plans for the next six months. I'm _popular._ " _Does she always have to talk it with so much sexual emphasis?_   "I'm not coming home for a while. So if you want it now you'll have to get it yourself."

  
"What about Trunks?"

"Ooh, 'Ten, I really don't have time to convince my spoiled brat of a brother to do something for me."

"He wouldn't be doing it for you, I'll talk to him-"

"'Ten!" She was suddenly on the verge of losing her temper with him, and it took considerable effort to regain her composure, "'Ten, there are... other things... in that part of the lab, they're my projects. They're not under CC oversight, and I'd really prefer it if it stayed that way."

"Why can't you just come back for a few hours?"

"I already told you 'ten, I'm _busy._ Besides, I think you'll appreciate all the fun things I've been working on in my spare time."

  
"Bra, how the fuck am I supposed to get in to CC?! Look at my fucking face!" _And that would hardly be the worst of it if I step foot there again any time soon.  
_

  
"hmm, yeah you used to be pretty cute... oh well, figure it out and let me know."

The line went dead and he was left fuming.

\---

  
Inside, amidst the reunion, stands an awkward uncomfortable Goku. He's trying to laugh and look happy. He's trying so hard; and he is happy to see everyone, but it's crushing to see how much they've aged. To see that their families are grown. To see how hard his wife is trying not to be angry with him for abandoning her again.

It's difficult to answer all the questions, to deal with the excitement that he is still too time shocked to share... everything starts to become a blur of discomfort and nausea. He has to escape this huge house that was slowly becoming claustrophobic.

  
He finds a moment when everyone is distracted to step away. He inhales the fresh air and stretches. He catches something in the corner of his eye and turns to see Goten leaning against a nearby tree looking... _he's still angry._ Guilt washes over him, but the optimist within, the casual demeanor he uses to assure those around him that nothing is wrong, is stronger than the disappoint he has aimed at himself.

  
"What are you doing out here?" He says it in the friendliest tone he can manage, trying to invite a response. Goten turns and smiles, though it is not a comforting one. Unfortunately Goku is not very good at telling the difference so he smiles back warmly.

 _Vegeta's right. He does have good timing._ "I could ask you the same thing."

  
"I never... really liked parties." he laughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his neck.

"Me neither."

"I'm glad you stayed... even though you weren't... inside." Goten nods curtly

"About the other day... I'm sorry..." Goten trails off and waits for his father to inevitably open up.

  
"No- It's- don't apologize Goten. You're my son and I- I... I'll never get the lost time back." Goku's chest is starting to tighten and Goten is surprised it didn't take a little more prodding, "I know that. But... I want to get to know you. I just don't know- " without warning Goku is spilling things he wasn't aware he was feeling.

  
Goten stands and faces him. "Dad... I know. It's ok." Goku stops and looks at his son with watery eyes. Goten let's himself be embraced. It's a much tighter hug than he expected and he is caught off guard by the pain shooting through his back. He winces, but doesn't make a sound, trying not to ruin the moment. After a few seconds he is able to return it. _Just let him have it._

  
For the first time since his arrival there are tears running down the full saiyan's face. They land softly on Goten's shoulder without making a sound, but they are monumental tears none the less. Everything is finally hitting him. He holds back a sob and presses one of his hands to his son's head then abruptly pulls back. His hand stays in Goten's hair and fusses for a few moments there.

  
"What is- did your hair get burned, is that- He burned your hair?!" Goku is surprised how angry he is about something so much more trivial than the brutal facial injuries looking him in the eye right now.

  
Goten looks away with shame, "It reminded him of you, I guess."

  
"What?" His energy is starting to simmer and he can hear the others inside starting to ask what's going on, they can feel it.

  
"Don't you wonder why he didn't come?"

"I-"

"He's afraid, dad. Vegeta's afraid... of what you'd do when you saw what he did to me... He... this isn't the worst one he's given me, you know?"

"WHAT?!" He knew it had been Vegeta, because _who else_. Training was training, he's sure he and Vegeta had done the same to each other on occasion, but this-

  
"He used to just show up sometimes and attack me. I thought it had gotten better but-" he forces his voice to waver, until he can make a few tears start streaming down his face, "I just wasn't strong enough to hold him back when you returned, maybe he was just confused- I don't know-" he drops to his knees and wraps his arms around himself, "I'm such a disappointment, dad, I'm not strong eno- please don't be-"

  
Goku charges up to super saiyan as he yells Vegeta's name at the top his lungs. Gohan rushes outside but not fast enough to catch his father who has already bolted into the sky.

"What did you do!?" He is furious. He knows something had to have gone wrong.

  
Goten stands up and shrugs his shoulders with a crooked smile before charging up and following after him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked writing the chapter of gaslighting vegeta a lot, I wanted to see where it could go with Goku. Manipulative people... they never just fuck with one person. They do it to everyone. For everything. A little beating might make him hesitant to mess with Vegeta again... but Goku, well, old habits die hard, don't they?
> 
> I had a little trouble figuring out how this needed to piece together, but then it just sort of... pulled itself together last minute. It's a little short, but the next chapter will be... fun to say the least. If you've stuck with me this far, TY! Your comments have been a blast to read to far. I love the division over Goten.
> 
> Ah, poor Goku. He just wants to be accepted by his son! If only he knew he was a devious bastard. :(


	13. Die Hard

Vegeta feels their energy the moment it spikes. He knows it won't be a friendly. Not with how he left Goten's face. _Damn bastard deserved worse!_ He bristles with anxious anticipation. Goku isn't usually the type to get angry, _but when he does..._ Even with a fifteen year advantage it would be a dangerous fight and that is what he expecting. _It was only a matter of time._

  
He finally shuts off the gravity room when he feels their ki cross onto CC property. His hands shake just a little when pressing the small buttons on the control panel. His thoughts are racing so fast he can hardly understand them, can't think clearly. _I haven't felt that ki in so long and now it's so close I could tou-_ The feelings are increasingly mixed, he can't help going internal as they approach and nearly jumps through the ceiling when the door is blasted off it's hinges and sent flying across the room.

  
Goku stands, in all his blinding glory, just a few feet from the door way and he is closing in quickly, but it is Goten who catches his eye first. He isn't powered up. He's just standing there. A few meters off with a sneer on his face. Vegeta's first impulse is to fly right into him and blast him off his property, blast him into space, _into another fucking galaxy!_ He moves before he has time to process what he's doing and Goku cuts him off with an arm to the neck leaving Vegeta on his back with the wind knocked out of him. When his vision comes back into focus he lifts his head and sees that Goten is gone. Vegeta's attention is re-centered,

"What did you do to my son?" Goku's voice is low and threatening as he stands over him.

"Nothing he didn't deserve" he spits out angrily.

Goku straddles him and throws his fist into Vegeta's face, "What have you done to him?!" He cocks it back again and again and Vegeta can't help but start laughing as blood stains his teeth. He can block easily, but he doesn't. He could overpower him. But he doesn't. He just lets him hit him. Because he deserves it too. _And it feels fucking good. Kakarot._

Goku grips his collar and pulls him close, glowering at him trying to figure out what's going on inside the prince's head. Still, the smile on his face refuses to drown in the red.

"Tch." blood flecks land on Gokus face, "You have no idea what he's capable of."

"He's my son, Vegeta!! I don't care what he's capable of! How strong you think is or how far he's come in his training. You burned his hair? You disfigured hi-"

"Oh, don't be dramatic! He's Saiyan, he'll hea-" Goku shut him up with a punch to the gut.

"Just because he's Saiyan?! You think he can take it?! How could you do that?! How could you?!" his eyes search for answers, his brows twisted into a downward frown.

"How could _you_?" the older Saiyan shoots venomously, _you hurt him more than I ever did._

Goku's grip tightened until his knuckles turned white and he snarled in Vegeta's face, "You had no right, you're going to pay for-"

"No! You had no right to leave him! YOU had no right! YOU!"

Goku hesitates just long enough to let him continue, "You think this will win him over?! Suddenly stepping in as the over protective father? Fighting his battles for him? You left, Kakarot! and this won't make up for it!" _You left him behind. You left everyone behind._

Goku's face drops, then his grip, then Vegeta, "It's not like I meant to leave for so l-"

"Well, maybe you should tell him that, because I don't give a fuck!" He gets up and wipes the blood from his nose and mouth.

Goku looks down, still kneeling, and with a softer tone mutters, "He doesn't either."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because he's my son!"

"You don't even know your son!!"

"How can you say that!? It doesn't matter! He's still my son! Everyone else just brushes this off like it's normal! I don't- I just- Why would you do that to him!!? How could you be so mad at me that you-"

"IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!" _It has always been about you._

Goku is startled by the sheer volume of pain the older Saiyan manages to put in every syllable of his words and stands up.

Vegeta's chest is heaving, struggling to contain all the overwhelming emotions coursing through him, "It was never about you! It was him. I was mad at him-"

"Why?! you just attack him like that...?! and this wasn't the first time! or the worst! How can you even begin to justi-"

Vegeta raises a brow at that then starts bellowing with laughter. "Oh, that is rich, is that what he told you?! HA! He's the one who picked fights! I NEVER laid a hand on him unless it was training until- Everything I did had a purpose. I never- fuck, Kakarot! ..." they meet eyes and there's a sudden collide of emotions. The deep cavern of anger and hurt crashed into by waves of confusion, frustration, and an agonizing amount of regret. Vegeta breaks first. He can't stand to meet those dark pools of naivety always asking questions _you don't want the answers to._

"Growing up was hell for him and raising him was even worse!" Goku tries to throw another punch but Vegeta catches it easily. "He kept showing up here, begging to train, because I didn't have the fucking cruelty to remind him every day he was just like who he hated most!!" _No one thinks I pay attention! I DO! I know what that harpy used to say to him!_ _I know why he stayed here for days on end! Why he was willing to endure hours of grueling training just to avoid going home._ "That he was just the spitting image of you and nothing more! I saw the difference! I tried to make sure there was a difference! I tried to make sure he wouldn't become JUST LIKE YOU! Running from his problems! I trained him! housed him! Guided him! and he-" _  
_

Goku waits for him to continue but he never does. "Then why?"

"I didn't- He- I just-" he struggles to get his thoughts in order, bouncing between Goku, that night, the fight, this fight, he can't bring himself to say it, "I just lost my temper with him. Training too hard."

"Is it... because I came back?"

"Tch, no. You just returned at a bad time."

"Then what made you lose your temper?"

"Fuck! Kakarot! because he's a fucking brat! A useless sparing partner! Distracted all the time, pulling his punches, I was tired of it. So I didn't pull mine and he couldn't take it."

Goku's expression softens even though he knows something is missing, even though the answers are dodgy. But he doesn't see a point in getting worked up again so he moves on to something else that had been bothering him. "Does he know about us?"

Vegeta looks up at Goku with the smallest sliver of fear wavering in his dilated pupils. He doesn't say anything and that's enough to confirm Goku's suspicions.

"How did he find out? Does any-"

"No. I don't know." The older Saiyan shakes his head and they stand in silence for a while, just breathing.

 _You're never going to tell me anything, are you?_ He lets the topic drop for now and tries a different tactic, "...Do you want to know where I went?"

Vegeta looks at him curiously.

"You're gonna hate it."

"I hate most everything you do."

Goku's let's out a gentle huff of laughter, "Do you remember the last time we were in space together, the planet with the lakes?"

Vegeta smirks,  _what a hopless roma-_ then his eyes widened in shock. "Kakarot, how long did you think you were gone?"

"Weeks? Maybe a few months." He smiles sadly. "I forgot it was... I really didn't mean to leave. I just wanted... to clear my head."

And just like that the weight was lifted from Vegeta's restraint. He grasps at his rival's shirt, "It's already empty you idiot!" and pulls Goku against him pressing their mouths together. "You idiot" he whispers against his jawline.

Goku hesitantly, and contrary to his instincts, pushes him back, "Vegeta, we're- we can't do this. If you're not going to tell me what happened... Then I can't... I can't do this."

"I already told you" He tries to pull Goku in, but his rival keeps pulling back, resisting the urge to let Vegeta do with him as he pleases, "I lost my temper. Kakarot, he's a Saiyan, everything's alr-"

"Everything's not alright, Vegeta. Don't lie to me."

Vegeta lets go and gives up, then grumbles out in a sulking tone, "Can't you just leave some things alone?" _If you never find out, it'll be too soon._

"No, I can't." He walks towards the exit and steps out of the GR.

Vegeta resumes his usual scowl, his mood immediately soured by the rejection.

"Where did he go? Inside?"

Everything between them is so fragile, always has been. He tenses up trying to restrain his anger in front of Kakarot, "Must be picking up the things he left here" he says through clenched teeth. _Goddamn_ _I want that deceptive little shit out of my fucking house right now._

Goku heads towards the door.

"Kakarot." The younger Saiyan turns around. "He's just going to lie to you again."

"Hm. Must have learned that from you too."

_Ouch._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note on the title. Vegeta has habits too. Namely, Goku.
> 
> This is the first real Gk/V interaction for this fic! :OOO I thought about it going worse, way worse. I thought about it going better, much better. but I just couldn't do either. tried to find a realistic feeling balance between hopeless angst and smutty fanservice eyy. ended up a bit bittersweet at the end there...
> 
> Your comments and kudos so far have given me life. ^^ Ty!


	14. Troublesome Tech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bra gives Goten the solution to all his problems

He's on the phone as soon as he's inside the compound.

"Ok, I'm here, what do I do?"

"Go to the lab, dummy."

He arrives at the door and types in Trunks' birthday. It opens with a hiss.

"Now what?"

"Go down the hall at the end and make right and you'll see a few offices, doors, whatever, mine's the last one on the left."

He walks through an open room with wall sized computers on one side and several rows of tables with all kinds of gadgets and bots scattered everywhere on the other. A CC techie who was computing away lifts their head and raises a brow at him but otherwise his presence is largely ignored. He finds the hall, turns and quickly heads to the last door on the left.

"What's the pass code?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll open it remotely" not a moment later the door clicks and he turns the handle and walks in. The lights turn on automatically, dim at first, but they grow brighter after a couple moments. The room is neat and organized. He sees a shelf filled with various awards and trophies, in the middle is a framed picture of Bra is standing at a podium hands on hips, in short athletic shorts and a tight sleeveless jersey. Her smile is bright and her hair in short pig tails.

"Did you get in ?"

"Yeah, I like the shrine to yourself, heh."

"Hmph, being Saiyan has it's advantages, doesn't it?"

He nods his head in silent agreement, "Bet you could go Olympic without breaking a sweat. Ok, so what am I here for?" he looks over at the desk and starts rifling through the drawers.

"Stop going through my desk. I'll tell you where it is. Turn and face the wall behind you." He heard whirring followed by a loud clunk behind him and turned toward the wall behind the desk which began to open up revealing a small work shop.

"Oh shit, that's fucking cool. I didn't know you had your own shop."

"Yeah, I'm not about to work on any of this in the main lab."

He walked in and saw the corrugated walls lined with different types of tools and equipment he'd never seen before. The steel table was covered in scraps and shavings, papers and designs scattered all over, not nearly as neat as her office.

"holy- what is all this shit bra?"

"You like it? I thought you would." she said smugly.

Among the shavings were all kinds of strange looking objects that he couldn't even begin to identify although a large number of them looked like some type of jewelry or bracelets.

"You're a goddamn freak." He looked at several sets of metal restraints, none of which looked like "restraining" was their only purpose. "You trying to make this place into a personal sex dun-?"

"Did you know I can also remotely turn on the security system for my lab?"

"Alright then. Don't shit talk your creepy shop, got it." He picks up a metallic cross with jagged edges, "What the hell is this?"

"Whatever it is put it down. Don't touch anything unless I say so."

"So... where and what is it?"

"It's well- it's kind of new, you'll get to be a test subject for it."

"What?! I thought you at least knew it would work?! You've never even tested it??"

"Relax, I know it works, I built it. I just haven't tested it yet. It wasn't originally designed for you, but I figured you'd be as good as anyone."

"Not designed for me?" he picks up what looks like a small leather belt fitted with some kind of metal studding on the interior side. "Well, it better fit and look normal because I'm not going to wear something that looks stupid." He looks at a thick cord of copper wiring hanging off the edge of the work table. He cautiously notes that it is hooked up to a battery underneath the table. "I'm not into any of that weird shit either." _Kami, bra what the hell is that?_

"Yeah, right. Because I'm sure you're such a romantic when you're losing control of your ki, breaking the poor twink you convinced to come back with you."

"Ok, first of all, I don't fuck twinks."

"That's right I forgot, you're the bottom bi-"

"Bra, what the hell am I looking for?"

"Right, it's simple. Just a - like a... it looks like a bracelet. There's a small 'x' on it. But otherwise it's just a metal band... its over by the drill press."

He looks at several metal bands roughly large enough to fit his wrist. Most are unmarked, except for one, off to the side, which has a small 'x' on the inside. "Is this it?"

"Probably, send a picture, I want to make sure you don't grab one of the scrapped ones."

He tapped on his phone a few times and waited.

"Yeah that's it."

"This is supposed to help me?"

"Yeah." He stood there staring at the thin band.

"What does it do?"

"It's a ki blocker, what do you think?"

"Bra... a Ki blocker?" he doesn't try to hide the disappointment, "How is that going to help me? It'll probably just break."

"No, it should hold up to even your ki. I tweaked it when I was home last and Trunks talked to me about your 'problem'. And" she giggled, "It increases sensitivity. I think."

"You think?"

"Interested?"

"Don't you have something else?"

"That works? Not really. I've been messing around with ki amplifiers, but they don't work very well on humans, I've already tried. You could just-"

"Amplifier? Where are those?" He casually picks up couple of the scattered papers trying to figure out what was what. They were difficult to read and most looked like ki dampeners of some kind or another but one detailed a layout of something smaller than the band he had in his hand, he wasn't a genius but he knew the difference between input and output of energy. _Looks promising._

"You don't get to have an amplifier. They aren't ready and you have enough issues as it is. Trust me, it'll only make it worse."

"Oh c'mon, who better to test it on? I'd be interested to find out what-"

"'Ten! I told you it's not ready!"

"Jeez alright." He found a small set of rings of various sizes off to the side near the bracelets. Most were bent or broken, several were in pieces but he found a couple that were still whole. He picked one up that looked like it would fit him and put it in his pocket.

"So take the band, go out and have fun. Tell me how it works, ok? Tell me if you're able to get your rocks off without shattering someone's hips."

"Tch. So all you had for me was a ki blocker? Wasting my time. It's going to break."

"It's not going to break. _I_ built it. It works and it increases _sensitivity_. So yeah, that's all you get. You should be on your knees thanking me like the goddess I am for bestowing such a gift on to the likes of you."

"Oh really? I should? Why don't we wait to see if it works first, huh? Is there anything about this thing I should know?"

"Hmm, not really. You should be able to tap the 'x' and pop that bad boy onto your wrist or ankle or _wherever_ you want. It might take a couple seconds but you'll know once it's working."

"Are there any... side effects?"

"Not really, you might be a little dizzy when your Ki comes back, but it shouldn't last long. Blocking has been the only success I've managed with Ki tech so far."

"You work a lot with ki?"

"Yeah, Trunks is too scared, doesn't want the company to experiment with it, something something 'it's too dangerous' something something 'i'm a total pussy' I don't know, that's just what he said." Goten snorted at her impression of her brother, "So I do what I can for myself. Anyway, you got it. Get out of my lab."

"Cool." He walked out and the wall closed up behind him automatically. He walked back into the main hall.

"Hey, do you know where the GR monitors are?"

"Yeah they're in the right hand corner of the main hall. There's a control system over there. Why?"

"Our dads are beating the shit out of each other right now. I'm gonna flip it on and watch. Step in last minute if I have to."

"Oh my god! No way! You have to record it! Can you put me on video!? who do you think will win? Oh my go-"

"Vegeta. Obviously. My dad has been gone only for like... a few months or weeks. Dilation or something, I don't know. We're leagues ahead of him."

"Oh my god-" he puts the phone on speaker and sets it down on the control panel. He can hear her yammering on in the background while he flips on the screen. The red glow of the GR immediately comes to life, slightly washed out by the daylight coming in from the open door. They are standing in the middle of the room and he can see blood on Vegeta's face.

"Oh shit." He can't help but crack a smile.

"What are they doing?? Don't just leave me hanging!"

"I don't... I don't know... looks like they're just arguing right now. Talking? Is there audio for this thing?" he tries fiddling with the controls but it doesn't do anything.

"I don't think so. It's kind of old and I never cared much for the GR so I never messed with any of it."

"Hm. Well, they're just standing the-" _what the FUCK ARE THEY DOING_   "WHAT THE FUCK!?!?" Several lab technicians are startled from their desks and look over at Goten.

"What's going on?! Did Goku get knocked out?!"

"NO! NO NO NO NO! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!???" he grips both sides of the screen and shakes it, "AHH!"

"What's going on?! 'Ten, you have to tell me! Who hit who?"

"Shut up, Bra!" he slams his hand down on to the phone, shattering it and denting the metal underneath.

"Damn it. You were supposed to fight... not..." he watched them leave the GR. He focused on their energy. _They're coming inside._ He turned off the screen and walked quickly up to the room he'd left his things in. He tried to make it look like he'd been packing. His bag was still out and his clothes still scattered over the floor from last time he'd been there. He sat on the floor by his duffel bag, still seething over what he just saw. Trying to figure out _how the fuck that could have happened_.  _I mean really, look at me!_ He looks angrily at the orange gi lying next to his bed. _I'm just going to have to try harder._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was originally planned as like... a ten chapter fic, if that. but now... i don't know, it's starting to spin out of control because I'm looking about double that, now. There's definitely an end in sight-ish, but it's further off than I had planned. We'll see? The last few chapters have had me thinking about changing up my ending. :D I hadn't originally planned much after Goku's return.. but now that he's here, I'm so excited about utilizing him as a pivot point. 
> 
> Also: Chekov's gun is on the table. Hopefully I'll remember to use it. >:D


	15. Standoff

Goku taps lightly on the door and opens it to see his son sitting on the floor zipping up a large duffel as he turns to face them.

"Hey, Goten?"

Vegeta stands behind Goku in the hallway scowling with his arms crossed. As soon as they make eye contact Goten recoils with a startled frightened expression and quickly starts trying to back himself into a corner.

"Don't- please- Dad, don't let him-" he covers his face with his hands

"Woah, Goten-" His father walks into the room, his hands out trying to reassure him. "Goten, it's ok. I already talked to him. Wha-"

"Oh, you little sh-" Vegeta's arms drop and he tries to step forward but Goku shoves his hand into Vegeta's chest holding him at bay. "He's a fucking liar!! He's ly-"

"Stop! I don't care! He's also my son!" Goku feels like he's breathing fire through his nostrils he's so frustrated with these two. He knows something isn't right here. He just can't figure out who it's coming from. Goten seems to relax somewhat now that his father is between them. _Vegeta has too,_ he notices.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean, 'what happened'?" Goten is trying his hardest to force out tears but they just won't fall, all he can manage is watery eyes, "Isn't it obvious?" he stands up, "Just look at my face, my hair, you haven't even seen-" he stops and turns around and lifts his shirt up revealing a network of painful bruising on his back around his kidneys. He puts his shirt down. Goku's expression is wide eyed,he didn't realize it was that extensive "... and it wasn't the first time, was it Vegeta? that you lost it, just started yelling about how I was a disgrace to the Saiyan race, that 'Kakarot's brat' should be ashamed to be so weak. Tha-" he knows his impersonation is spot on because he watches Vegeta's face explode with red hot fury.

"You lying piece of-" He lunges forward and nearly trips over Goku who has managed to keep him in the doorway.

"Vegeta! Stop! I don't wanna fight you right now! Don't make me-" _I can barely hold you back._ "Just tell me what-" _  
_

"I told you!" He drops his fists and looks Goku in eyes, "I told you what happened." His voice is urgent, with just a hint of desperation for Goku to let this drop.

"It's not enough! it's not enough, Vegeta. You can't just say you lost your temper and expect everything to be OK! It's not OK! Goten says you just showed up and attack him, that it happens all the time! You say it was the one time and it just happened to be the day I came back." he fumes. "One or BOTH of you is lying about- this!" He gestures to his sons still shut eye and busted face.

The older Saiyan wants to respond but chokes on his words, "I- he-"

 _Is that what he told him? Lost his temper during training? should have guessed_. Goten holds back a smug smile.

Goku looks at his son whose face has been washed of fear and replaced with something that looks more... he doesn't know the word for it...  _but it's not frightened... or friendly._ Then he looks back at Vegeta who is caught up inside his own head as usual _._ He returns his frown to his son. _I'm missing something._

"Goten why didn't anyone... help you?"

Lucky for him, Goten had a few moments alone in his room to get his story straight, he's irritated he can't get any tears to fall, _but it'll have to do,_ "He's... the strongest... He's the strongest, dad. No one could have helped me even if I asked... and I didn't ask because... I wanted to be strong like you" he almost throws up at the sentimentalism in his words, but it looks like his father is buying every bit of it, so he forces himself to continue, "it was never this bad before... before you came back."

Vegeta feels a threatening growl creeping up from deep inside as he glares at Goten's sore looking face. _The bastard probably isn't healing it out of spite, helps his lies. Fuck! And he still looks like his father, should have hit him harder. Should have killed him for what he did, for tricking me-_ He feels his face suddenly heat up with shame thinking about that night _. desperate, pathetic... him and I both..._

"Dad, you have to believe me, look at me. Look at what he did."

"You fuckin-" Vegeta pushes past Goku and tries to get his hands on the _insufferable brat._ The younger Saiyan struggles to pull him off his son just before he can land a punch.

"Vegeta, get off him! Get off!" He only relents because it's Goku pulling him off. 

He barely manages to shove the offending Saiyan back and catches the tail end of a smirk on his son's face. "What is going on between you two?!"

"There's nothing going on." Vegeta snarls towards Goten.

"You're really this mad at him for pulling his punches?"

He shifts uncomfortably and he grinds out through clenched teeth, refusing to make eye contact, "You know I take... training... seriously."

 _But you get mad at me when I train too much?_ "You both think you have an edge over me because I've been gone."

A pang of guilt strikes only one of the deceivers but neither can bring themselves to respond.

"And I guess you're right because I can't figure this out. I'm going home. And Goten, you are too. I'm not leaving you here with _him._ "  _I don't know which of you is lying, but you're the one who suffered, you're the one I have to protect._ Vegeta's eyes widen with a stiff shock of hurt. Goku still let's his hand drop a little too slowly for Goten's liking from Vegeta's chest. He shakes his head and walks out of the room. _'I don't trust you. I'm not coming back until I do.'_ was the unspoken message.

Goten and Vegeta glare at each other. The half Saiyan picks up his bag and follows on his fathers heels. Vegeta doesn't move for Goten, who shoulder checks him as he walks by and says in a low voice accompanied by a sneer, "So good to have him back, isn't it?"

If looks could kill, the daggers Vegeta shot him for such a statement would have murdered the demi-Saiyan ten times over.

  
  
\---

  
Goten is flying just slightly behind Goku, watching him intently. His fathers face is twisted into a tight pout. _Is that really what I look like when I'm upset?_ He laughs to himself.

"Hey... Dad?" He slows down.

"Yea?"

"I'm going to split off here. I'm going back to Gohan's house."

"Are you sure? Chi Chi would really wanna see you. She says you haven't stopped by in a while."

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's getting late and I'd rather wait... until... y'know."

Goku looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish, because he really doesn't know.

Goten, with the very little self control he has left, resists rolling his eyes. "Until I'm a little more healed up, you know how she gets. Gohan probably has some Senzu, maybe I'll stop by tomorrow" _or never, whichever's more convenient, really._

"Oh. Yeah, sure. I'll see you-" then he perks up, "would ya wanna spar then?"

Goten's already starting to head in the other direction, pretending he hadn't heard the question.

"Ok...! some... other time..." He watches Goten fly off for a few moments, then takes his time heading towards another night on a cold couch.

\---

  
Vegeta feels their energy grow further and further away. The ki blast he has formed in his hand dissipates only after a significant amount of restraint. He begins to pull all of his hatred inward as he walks to the GR. He's on autopilot when he turns up the gravity all the way. His anger feels so far away. He has no thoughts in his head as he does agonizing routines. He hasn't trained like this in years. He doesn't feel a thing when he finally collapses mid-kata, from exhaustion, into a dreamless sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this turned out more... sad... than I intended :( 
> 
> If Goten is in a scene, then his are the only actions I plan out before I write. I know my set, which characters will be there, the general feel of the scene (an argument, a spar, make up, an awkward dance at a party etc). and then I ask, "What does Goten do this time to fuck it all up?" and then I write. Everyone else just reacts to him.


	16. Last Night

"Hey idiot."

The voice sounds far off and Goten doesn't open his eyes.

"Hey idiot!" It's a little closer this time, and definitely familiar.

"WAKE UP!" Now its right next to his ear and he has to acknowledge it

"What?" He grumbles, mouth dry and head pounding.

"Oh good he's alive."

"Wha-, Pan? where- where am I?" he looks around.

"Where do ya think dummy? You're in my house. Your brother's house."

He looks around slowly with one eye cracked open.

"You have no idea what happened last night do you?" she rolls her eyes.

"Hnnn" it's slowly starting to come back to him and he hides his face underneath a pillow.

"What is this thing anyway?"

He lifts the pillow, "What thing?"

"This." she holds up the ki blocker.

"Oh... shit. Here just give it to me."

"Nu-uh dad says he wants me to make sure you don't get a hold of it until he's back."

"C'mon, Pan." He weakly reaches out for it.

"No way, not after last night. We spent hours chasing your drugged-up-ass down. Couldn't find you until you finally powered back up."

The memories are still spotty. He can't quite recall what she's talking about, "Who's 'we'?"

"Me, my dad and Trunks. No one else knows what happened. Lucky for you, your brother managed some discretion. Oh, and here's your phone." she tosses it on to the bed. "It's been going off for hours." She clicks her tongue.

"Uhgg, Pan, why did you wake me?" he puts the pillow back over his head to block the afternoon light streaming in through the window.

"Mom wanted me to make sure you were alive."

"I want to sleep for another year."

"You know you're gonna get an ear-full when your big brother comes home from work in a hour or so." she stuck her tongue out at him, "You might wanna have something to say for yourself."

"UUUUhhhhhg, get out!" he throws a spare pillow at her which she deflects with ease.

She leaves the room spinning the little band around her finger with her other hand on her hip. 

_Self righteous little punk... taking my things..._ Though he admits he didn't put up much of a fight. _I'll find it later._ He looks at the screen, he's groggy and the words still look a bit fuzzy to his sleepy eyes.

  
48 missed calls. He scrolls through them. _Gohan...mostly. Trunks... Pan... one from Bra... She didn't try hard..._ There's one from a number he recognizes but hasn't saved. He flips over to the texts. He has dozens from Gohan, Trunks and Pan all asking in some way or another where he was and why he wasn't answering. He finds two from Bra.  
  


1023pm Bra  
trunks called me. Sounds like you used it!

0605am Bra  
Soo? does it work?  
  
_crazy bitch, making me a guinea pig for her creepy experiments._  
  
0428pm Goten  
yeah, it fuckin' worked. never being the first to test your equipment again.

0429pm Bra  
 Give me details! I have to know how it affected you if i'm going to improve it.  
  
He tries to walk himself backwards from the last thing he can remember before typing out a small novel on his phone.

  
  
\------

 

It's ten 'o' clock the night before. He's laying on a brand new bed in the huge but cheaply furnished room at Gohan's house staring at the little band. The several days have remained uneventful. He's back to the daily grind. He has already burned the gi so there's no risk of anyone else finding it. Gohan gave him a senzu because he noticed his face was starting to heal improperly. Goten accepted because he doesn't need the bruises anymore. He finally cut his hair so it didn't look like a charred mess. He'd be damned if he ever let anyone near it again though. 

  
His phone is silent tonight though it had been exploding with messages earlier in the week. Trunks keeps asking why he moved out, keeps asking if he's OK, keeps asking why he never comes over anymore. _It's only been a few weeks, Trunks, don't get so worked up about it._ His friend's concern warms him as much as it irritates him. 

"I know you guys fought but-"

 _Figures that Vegeta wouldn't tell you shit either._ "Trunks, my dad is back and I wanted to spend more time with him-"

"but aren't you living with Gohan?"

 _Aren't you annoying me with all your questions?_ "Yeah, look, it's just how things are now. Stop worrying about it, we'll hang out this weekend, alright?"

But Trunks is all booked up with Capsule Corp. functions so Goten is stuck at home, bored when he honestly could have used a break from school and "home".  
  
Being alone with his thoughts isn't as tortuous as it used to be though. He knows he's not getting back into Vegeta's good graces anytime soon, _probably not ever, if I was ever there to begin with..._ But the tension, the damage he's done to whatever was between the last two full Saiyans is enough to satisfy him for now. He grumbled about not being able to get what he wanted but at least no one else was getting it either. He's sure Vegeta and his father won't be on speaking terms any time soon, let alone _anything-else-terms_. That much he could live with and he would do what ever he could to keep it that way. He got what he wanted. Control. Maybe not over his power, or his life... but over something.

He looks at the curious little thing in his hands.

He twirls the band around his fingers and thinks about the likelihood that Bra is fucking with him and it does something completely different. 

_Very likely._

He keeps pressing the little 'x' but nothing happens. It's not quite big enough to fit around his palm and won't come apart without threatening to break. He presses his thumb to the little 'x' again and sends a small jolt of ki into it and it pops open from some hidden seam. He clicks it on to his wrist and watches it locks up automatically. It doesn't feel too tight, just snug enough that it doesn't move.

  
"Hm." and then it hits. He feels like all his energy is snapped out of him, like he's dying, being pulled into the spiritual ether along with all his ki. He wants to yell out but he can't make a sound. He struggles to roll out of the bed and collapses to the floor as soon as he does. He manages to crawl towards his desk where his phone is.

"Fusddv" his mouth is having difficulty forming words. He feels like he's the drunkest he's ever been in his life and impossibly weak, barely able to support himself on his hands and knees. His hand reaches up for his phone and slides around sloppily until he succeeds in knocking it off the desk.

He keeps slurring profanities because his brain can't produce anything else. He manages to pick up the phone but can't focus on the screen. He drops it and reaches for his wrist. He presses his thumb to the band and tries to recall his energy, it's difficult but finally he can feel some work it's way through his fingers. He loses consciousness before he can send it out.

His eyes bolt open startled and confused and he looks around. It's 1005. He looks over to the window. The blinds are open revealing a dark sky dotted with thousands of shining diamonds. He's never been so enraptured by the stars before. _Beautifuul night._ His thoughts feel slow and warm.

There's a loud knock on the door and someone saying his name in a panic. He gets up only after several attempts and stumbles towards the door still feeling weak and strange. He can feel the soft carpeting beneath his feet and curls his toes into it as he walks. He opens the door. He must have a funny look on his face because Gohan immediately asks what's wrong.

"Wha?" His faculties aren't all quite there yet "why are you-" his head drops towards his chest then snaps back up.

"Goten." His brother puts his hands around his shoulders and guides him over to sit on the bed. "What's wrong, I felt your Ki drop, it's nearly gone, I can still barely feel you. What's going on?" he presses his hand to his forehead which Goten only halfheartedly swats away.

"I'm f-finee. I'm just. I'm testing out a neww thing for Trunksss." He holds up his wrist with a smile. He pulls his brother into a sloppy hug. "You're always lookin' out for mee, aren't you?"

Gohan immediately pulls his face to meet his gaze. He looks him dead in the eyes and studies him. 

"Are- Are you on drugs?"

"Noo" he thrusts his wrist in Gohan's face so he can't ignore it. "It's a Kii blocker."

"A what?" He asks incredulously. _Why would you of all people would want something like that?  
_

Goten nods lazily and holds out his other hand to try and conjure up a ki blast. Nothing but a fizzling pop of energy comes out of his finger tips. 

"Seee? It works." He smiles. "I'm gonna go now. It's Friday~" he stands up and sways.

His brother pulls him back down, "'Ten" his brow furrows, "You're not going anywhere."

"Whaat? Why not?" he pouts. He gets up again and stumbles towards the mirror. His pupils are hardly more than pinpricks. His face is washed out and he can almost see his pulse beating a mile per minute in his neck. He starts to wobble but Gohan catches him again before he can hit the ground and tries to steady him.

"Goten! I'm- I'm going to call Trunks. This doesn't look good. Are you sure that's CC tech? Where did you get it?"

"Whaa, no I feeel great I feel feel so so so great. I wanna go... somewheerre with mussic and heatt."

Gohan looks at his wrist and starts inspecting the device. "How does this work?" he tries pressing on the x but nothing happens. "Goten? Goten, how did you get this thing on? There's no logo on this, where did you get it?"

"I ussed my Ki, duuuh" he gives his brother a toothy grin. "duuh" he leans back and watches the room turn around him until he's looking at the ceiling. 

"Goten!" Gohan kneels beside him, "Are you OK?!" he started muttering nervously about what he should do. 

"Stay... stay right here, Ok 'Ten? I'm just going to go get my phone."

"Oook I'll be right heree." _ha ha, not! It's friidaay._ He can feel himself slowly coming back to the reality around him. His senses still feel alive and he's wobbly getting up, but his thoughts are starting to clear just enough for him to have a bad idea. He opens up the large window in his room and lets the cool wind hit him.  
With a little stabilizing help from the wall, he plants both his feet on the window frame. 

"Ooh, that's a little further than I remember." the ground seems to shrink away from him.

The fuzziness in his brain begins to fade with the crisp air and he feels more in control of himself now. He jumps out, aiming for the sky. He doesn't make it more than a hundred meters before landing flat on his chest with a quiet thud. He groans and picks himself up. _Effective_ , he looks at the little metal band around his wrist. He brushes himself off and starts walking towards the road hoping he can catch a bus down town. _or_ _maybe i'll just runn therre._

  
\---

  
"What do you mean you've never given him a ki blocker?" Gohan is already walking back to Goten's room inwardly cursing the size of his house.

"I mean that my company doesn't even work with ki, it's too dangerous, Gohan, we've never made anything like that, the ramifications on the users are far too great. I've never approved any of the designs. 'Ten hasn't work with our weapons department in years anyway."

"Then where did he get it?"

"I have no fucking ide- wait. Let me call you back." The call drops just before he reaches the door. He's still looking at his phone, "Goten, Trunks says he's never-" He looks up and sees the room is empty then he sees the open window. He runs towards it and looks down finding nothing. 

"DAMN IT! GOTEN! GOTEN COME BACK!... Where could he have gone?" He can't sense his ki anymore it's so faint; indistinguishable from the millions of others in west city.

  
  
\---

  
He walks into a grungy, crowded dive bar that caters to a particular crowd. He notices they have the floor open and there are already more than the Fire Marshall allows dancing on it. This is exactly what he was looking for. The lights don't have trails anymore but they are bright and keep catching his attention. The beat is deep and he can feel it from his toes to his chest. It awakens something primal. He briefly considers removing the band, but the fuzzy feeling in his head tells him to relax and enjoy the energetic stillness. The uncomfortable feeling of not having his ki at his finger tips is usually what led to him breaking them. They either can't withstand the amount of ki he has or his constant anxious calls upon it. But this... _this is nice._

He sweats among the crowd like he's never sweat before. The slick bodies around him feel phenomenal and he touches everything he walks by. A hand grabs him and pulls him out of the crowd. The man is bold and presses him against a wall with peeling posters and kisses him with a open mouth. Goten grins and lets him, relishing the feeling of another warm body pressed against him. The half Saiyan runs his hands up the sides of the very blonde boy causing him to shiver.

Tonight's catch notices the bracelet and tugs on the half Saiyan's wrist, "this is cute." Goten stares at it for the first time since arriving and notices that it's starting to glow. He tries to call on his ki and it pulses just a little brighter.

"Yeah, it's pretty issn't it?" 

The stranger pulls back, "You look like you're having a great night."

Goten laughs softly and gives him a hazy nod.

"Let's make it even better." This time it's the Saiyan's turn to grab an arm. He pulls the blonde out of the club into the fresh air. Goten inhales deeply, his cheeks starting to ache from how much he's been smiling.

"You're really feeling good aren't you?"

"Yeah, which way?"

  
  
\---  
  


They're on each other as soon as they're through the apartment door. Goten can't help but make the most pathetic noises he's ever let leave his mouth. _She was right about the sensitivity_. He lets himself be backed into the bed which he immediately falls back on and claims as his own. 

"What do you prefer? top or-"

"I don't care, just do it now" he arches, letting out a whine.

"Oh wow, I want what ever you're on." The blonde hovers over him with a playful expression.

"You don't need what I'm on."

He hesitates, not sure how to respond to that, "You're not... You're not too fucked up, right?"

He takes the guys hand and pulls him in close with surprising speed and strength for someone so seemingly inebriated.

"Oof- Confident. I like confidence."

Goten wraps his legs around him and doesn't even bother with foreplay. His partner is shocked but ecstatic and continues without question.

After a few hours and several different positions the blonde can't help but stare down at the dark haired stranger in his bed with a strained smile. The human is panting, exhausted, barely able to keep his hips moving back and forth, "your endurance... is really... impressive..." It's taking everything he's got to not get off a third time because he wants to wait for this Greek god looking man who wears glowing bracelets. He has used every trick he knows but Goten doesn't come once for him, he only responds with deep rhythmic moans and grips him tighter.

The blonde tries to run his fingers through his partners hair, but is met with startlingly dark, livid eyes and an excruciating grip around his wrist.

"I-I just wanted-"

"Don't. Touch. My. Hair."

"Ok- ok ok, ah, let go, that fucking hurts!"

Goten releases his grip.

"Damn, you're really strong." his pain turns into a casual flirtatious smile, "Those muscles aren't just for show, huh?"

"No." Goten smiles, grips the mans shoulders and flips their positions. He decides it's finally time to take control. He goes faster and harder than his partner could have and it feels incredible, like every little sensory nerve in his body is lighting up with pleasure.

"Holy- oh- I'm gonna-"

"No- don't fucking come yet, I'm not done- I'm not fucking done-" He feels the man beneath him tense and grip his waist as tight as he can, which wasn't as hard as he wanted, and thrust into him deeply, but not quite deep enough to give him satisfaction. He wants to get angry but he feels too good to bother so instead he grips himself hard around the base and finishes manually.  
  
The blonde takes a few moments to catch his breath and pull out, "Wow... that was... that was the best I've ever had."

"Hm. Yeah, it wasn't bad."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It was good but-" he rubs at his wrist, which is starting to itch, and decides not to insult the blonde for being human, "It's better when I'm... not..."  
  
"Are you saying you're even more of an animal when you're sober?" The blonde props himself up on his elbow with an expression of coy disbelief.  
  
Goten turns away from him, "You have no idea."  
  
He tries to sleep but he keeps feeling irritation around his wrist. He pulls his arm out from underneath the pillow and sees the band is glowing brightly, it could illuminate a dark room. He touches it. 

"Ouch! what the-!" 

"What?"

"Nothing. I Just- ah, this thing is super hot." 

"And super cute. It's been glowing for a few hours though, the battery is probably just over heated."

"There isn't a battery, idiot." He mutters under his breath. With some effort he pulls a little ki into his thumb and presses it to the 'x'. The band pops right off. He sits up, feeling sober as day all of the sudden. His head is clear and his senses not overwhelmed by waves of pleasure racing through his blood. He feels like... _oh no-_  
  
"Hey, are you o-"  
  
Goten bolts to the bathroom and starts vomiting up everything he's ever eaten. He's never felt so nauseous, the whole room starts spinning and he can feel his ki zooming back into his body giving him a painful sense of vertigo. His head is pounding and he doesn't bother trying to control the energy rolling back into and off of him. Sparks and arcs of lightening start crackling around him while he wretches into the toilet.  
  
"Are you ok? Holy shit, what is happening?! Are you like- ODing?!"  
  
"I'm-" he pukes into the bowl, "I'm fine" he rasps out.  
  
"Is that electricity?! What's going on?" the room is starting to rumble and shake with his energy, "Oh my god your hair! (that's so fucking cool!) How did you-"  
  
Every time he throws up he feels another wave of energy wash through him until he's sure he can't power up any more, but his stomach just keeps heaving. He thinks he hears someone else, maybe a few other people, _where did they come from?_ He's finally able to power down and passes out on the cool porcelain.

  
   
\----

  
After a long period of review he sighs and hits the send button. He's mad at her for drugging him. Or messing with his nerves, or whatever made him feel so strange. But he's also sure he wouldn't have kept it on otherwise. Because having the ki ripped out of you feels awful. Feeling it return is even worse. He notices light but irritating burns around his wrist and scratches at them. He quickly follows up with another message.

  
0445 Goten  
I guess it was worth it. You gotta fix the overheating

and the hangover is awful.  
-send-

  
He scrolls through the other messages and sees for the fifth day in a row, the same question from an unmarked number.

"want 2 spar today?"

 

He's been coming up with clever excuses. He can't simply shut down his father's attempts to rekindle... Goku's not as stupid as everyone thinks, _or at least... he's very observant_. Saying no outright will chip away at the fragile image he's carefully crafted. One that is just slightly more trustworthy than Vegeta. One false step, and he's sure his father will run straight back to the other Saiyan. So here he is, trying to find ways to cleverly circumvent his offers for sparring, or dinner, or hunting or whatever instead of telling him to fuck off. Trying to avoid talking to him while making it seem like he's a good son, that he does want something to do with him; he's just busy with school, friends and other normal shit... that he has his life together except for the occasional beating by Vegeta.  
  
It only serves him right that his father keeps needleing at him, keeps asking, keeps hoping to spend time with him and, _uhg, get to know him._ _And here I thought I had learned my persistence from Vegeta.... turns out it's genetic.... And who let him have a phone anyway?_  
  
He tries, with his massive headache and turning stomach, to think about who he'd rather deal with right now... His father or his brother...  
  


"sure, I'll be over soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot is thickening I promise (next chapter).  
> I debated long and hard about the nervous system/drug? aspect of this device, ultimately I think it's necessary.
> 
> I think, this is one of my fav ch's so far even though... not much happens? because to everyone else, it looks like he's going off the rails, like drugged out losing his mind. but really, it's probably the first more-or-less "healthy" encounter he's had in a while with another human being. And when I say healthy I mean there's no coercion, pressure, lying or manipulation. (isn't that sad?)


	17. Bad Memories

He stands for a long time at the door. Staring. He hasn't bothered bringing his hand up to knock and he's not quite sure if it's a residual after-effect or if he's really this hesitant to face the two people who brought him into this world. He tries to push away the memory of last time he was here with no luck.

 

  
\---

_Four Years Ago_

  
He and his brother had always made a point to be with their mother this time of year. Goten to much less of an extent... but even he saw how quiet she used to get in the late fall. When all the trees were dead and snow started falling in the mountains. Everything becomes cold and empty in the countryside. It was hard not to remember; it was hard not to wonder where he'd gone.

  
He sits with Gohan, Videl and Pan at the table ready to dig into the incredible food their mother has laid out for them. He already hadn't been living here for a while, coming home only when it suited him, which just so happened to be whenever he was really craving a good home cooked, Saiyan sized meal. CC can brag all they want about their state of the art kitchen appliances, but in the end they had nothing on the Ox Princess' prowess with a wood stove and two Saiyan appetites to sate.

  
She finally puts the last dish on the table and sits down beaming at her two sons. This has slowly started becoming her favorite time of year; when Gohan manages to get time off and Goten takes a break from class and... _whatever else it is that he's doing_... she wonders, though, when her son became so quiet. He hardly ever talks when he comes over and he hardly ever comes over at all. She worries Vegeta has had too much of an effect on him.

  
Once upon a time she thanked the self professed murderer-to-be of her husband. Now, A little regret creeps in: regret that she didn't know how to handle her little boy, regret that she relied on him to help her control him, regret that she let him start training him, regret that she was too wrapped up in her own loss to show her son more love than resentment. He hated it when she told him how much he looked like his father. She knew he hated it, but she would still do it, she couldn't not. She found it hard to resist even now.  
  
They start eating and conversation is untroubled and good-humored this year. It always seems to get easier to pretend to enjoy the small talk the more time he spends away. _Maybe I should start visiting more often._ Everything feels warm and he realizes he has missed being home despite his obnoxious brother casually boasting his wealth, his family, his career, _his everything_ all the time when ever he has the chance. It was nice being home despite his mother walking dangerously close to saying what he hates most by talking about his hair,

"Oh, I wish you'd stop wearing it that way. Besides, aren't pony tails a bit effeminate? Certainly not very traditional." Though she'd never suggest he cut it, she already knows he never would.

He tries to tone back the biting sarcasm in his voice and prays he doesn't provoke her to say it.  "You obviously don't understand today's fashion, mom. It's what everyone's doing at school."

"I guess not." Chi Chi sighs and scoops more food on to her boys' plates.

"So Goten, if you're so fashionable- what's with the rest of your get up? What could Goten possibly be doing that's kept him so 'fashionable' in those boring workout clothes?" Videl teases.

He looks at her with an unamused look.

"Oh come on, 'Ten don't be shy, we all wanna know. We hardly ever see you and you're always so mysterious about what you're up to." She keeps needling.

"I'm not mysterious. There's just not a lot to tell. I go to class and I train. Boring life."

"Train? Why spend so much time training? You know Gohan was already engaged at your age." She winks at her husband.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not Gohan, because I'd much rather train than have a nosy woman around to annoy me with stupid questions." Despite drawing Gohan's glares upon himself, Videl doesn't take his quip to heart, she's always been better about that than her husband. 

"Now, Goten, I know you're in your rebellious stage, with all your training" the last part Chi Chi tacks on with a frown, "but soon you'll want to settle down with a nice girl and have a family too." Pan bursts out laughing and Goten mocks her cackling with a bitter sarcastic sneer.

"What's so funny, Pan?" She asks bewildered by her sudden laughter. Pan catches the sudden ire in Goten's eyes and quiets down.

"Oh... nothing."

Gohan stops chewing. He looks at his mother, then to Goten, "You... still haven't told her?"

"Gohan!" he says in a harsh whisper.

_Of course you didn't. Even though you told me you had. And I here I thought we were going to have an enjoyable family dinner for once..._

"Tell me what?" Her eyes widen at the prospect that her son isn't a total recluse. Goten looks away from the table and plays idly with his silverware. "Tell me what?" She looks at Videl and a sixteen year old Pan whom she knows will tell her if her boys don't. Videl shrugs with a half smile and Pan looks like she has half a mind to open her mouth but thinks better of it and crams more food into it instead.

"Goten." her smile broadens, "Did you meet someone? You know she's welcome here, we always have enough food- even with you two-" she casts a sly eye towards her oldest who forces an awkward smile. "and I'm sure if she's pretty enough to catch your eye then she's-"

"I'm full." Goten gets up from the table with his plate and walks towards the kitchen.

Chi Chi looks at her oldest son, "Was it something I said?"

"No, no mom. You're fine. Don't worry." he sets down his fork and gets up to start trail after his little brother. "I'm sure he's just not... feeling well."

He finds Goten in the kitchen washing the broken shards of the plate he had just been eating off of.

"You didn't tell her?"

"No! Why would I?" He snaps back quietly so they aren't overheard.

"How could you not tell her? She's your mother."

"She wouldn't understand."

"You don't know that until you-"

"I don't need you to lecture me."

"Well someone should since apparently Vegeta is just teaching you to have an attitude pro-"

"Shut up, Gohan! You don't know anything!" He throws the shards into the soapy water splashing it all over the floor.

"Boys? Is everything Ok?" They hear their mother call from the other room.

"Everything's fine mom." Gohan says with that same irritatingly fake happiness he uses to casually correct someone's suspicions when they've caught him lifting something impossibly heavy or eating more than a human should be able to eat, _or doing anything remotely Saiyan_. Goten looks to the ceiling with crumbling patience.

"Let's go sit back down, alright?"

"Sure, whatever."

They've barely gotten back to their chairs before Chi Chi finds a point of worry,

"Goten, are you sure everything's alright? You didn't get anymore food..."

He speaks before Goten has time to respond, "He's fine mom. He's was just a little embarrassed you asked, is all."

"Well you shouldn't be embarrassed about that, Goten. I'm going to ask you every time I see you until you finally bring home a wife."

"Ha ha, yeah I'm sure he'll" Gohan hesitates and looks back at Goten who is now staring at him with disbelief, "bring home a pretty girl one of these da-"

His mouth drops open at what his brother just said. _Did he just blatantly lie to her after he tried to fucking lecture me on telling the truth? You fucking- weak, spineless, useless, unsaiyan, hypocrite of brother AND you think you have the right to speak for me?_  

"Actually, mom" he speaks over Gohan's meeker tone, "I do have something to tell you."

Gohan nearly chokes on his food, "Are you sure this is the best ti-"

_Oh, it's definitely the best time,_ "Mom." He takes a moment too look each one of them in the eyes with a wide joyless smile. "I'm never bringing home a girl. I'm never getting married, and I'm definitely never going to give you any bratty grandkids because... I'm gay. I like men." 

Chi Chi looked like she'd just been hit with her own frying pan. Gohan's face can't be put into words and is _absolutely worth the price of a happy family dinner._

"Well I'm... I'm sure it's just... a phase..."

"It's not a phase, mom." he shakes his head with a snort, _You see, Gohan? This is why I didn't tell her.  
_

"Well, we can... we can fix this-"

"There's nothing to fix." he gestures at himself.

"But.. it's- you're not... right. You can't-"

"I'm right as rain, mom. There's nothing to fix here." His hand accidentally hits a glass and it shatters.

Gohan stands up, his chair making a loud scrapping noise as it scoots back drawing everyone's attention, "I think we should go outside and talk for a minute."

"No, I think you need to lay the fuck off and stop telling me-"

"Goten!" His mother is the first to shout.

"Mom, I can handle him." Gohan begin to circles the table toward his brother until Goten smirks and stands slowly pressing both hands onto the table which creaks under his weight.

"You sure you wanna do that big brother?" The internal spike in ki and aggressive posture stops Gohan dead in his tracks. For the first time that evening he notices how much bigger Goten has gotten since the last time he saw him. He's not taller than him, probably never will be, but he's broader. Then he realizes.... _He surpassed me... When did that happen? How did I not notice before? He's been hiding his ki? For how long?_

He realizes this wouldn't be like a one of their childhood brawls where it was an easy win for Gohan and everything seemed to be worked out afterwards. Gohan's confidence begins to waver and slowly dissipate.

"Both of you stop! You will not fight in this house any more! I will not have you ruin this with another fight."  She wants to believe she's still stronger than them, and maybe she is in terms of will, but she's hesitant to step between them with a cast iron like she used to. These aren't the little boys she could still barely control from back then. Videl is trying her best to get her husband to sit down without any luck.

"You hear that, Goten? Is that what you wanted? To come here ruin dinner like you ruin everything?!"

"Oh, I ruin everything? You were the one lecturing ME about why I should tell her! This your fault! You could have chosen to encourage and support me, but you backed out and lied to her instead! I told the truth. I did the right thing, Not you! Great example Gohan. So grateful to have you in my life. Always looking out for me, telling me how to live my life best."

"Maybe if you could hold it together for five goddamn minutes I wouldn't have to lie for you! but no! You've broken a plate, a glass, probably cracked the table and started an argument! It has nothing to do with me! Grow up! Grow up before you become a violent sociopath who's angry and spiteful because of something that happened almost ten years ago like Ve-!"

"Shut! up! Gohan! Acting like you're so much better than everyone just because you pretend all the fucked up shit doesn't exist! Pretending that he never left us! pretending that we belong on this weak planet with all these weak humans! and all this stupid breakable furniture!" he kicks at the chair and knocks it over. "Because we're just SO fucking NORMAL right? and everything's just peachy?! Well, fuck you! I don't want to pretend! All that pain you ignore?! It does exist! And no amount of money, or stupid rich wives, or mansions or jobs at esteemed universities will make it go away and all this... bullshit you surround yourself with... that's all it is! Bullshit! Stupid human bullshit!"

if Videl did not have an above average Ki, Chi Chi, who is standing catatonic with fury, would have surely broken her arm with how hard with was griping it while listening to the language she didn't know her son used.

"Great speech, Goten. You at least made it sound like one of us isn't a complete disappointment."

He almost launches himself across the table at his older brother but resists and growls out loudly in his frustration.

The older of the two opens his mouth to respond.

"Gohan be quiet! Don't say another word to him." Chi Chi turns her tearing eyes towards her youngest. "is that really what you have to say for yourself? All those horrible things? Insulting him because he's tried to move on? Is that's what you want to say to me? 'Fuck you'?"

He feels his throat tighten. His brows press together in regret as the room falls silent. He lets out a shaky breath and looks around at everyone. Even Pan is sitting with wide eyes, slumped down into her chair unable to ignore that dinner turned into such a wreck. She looks down at her phone screen and starts tapping furiously. _Damn. Probably telling Trunks everything, too._

He looks to the floor and starts coming to terms with just how much he's ruined the evening and all of his familial relationships in five minutes just to try and- _what was I trying to prove again?_ His mouth presses into a hard line and he heads towards the door. _It wasn't worth it._

"Goten, stop, don't just lea-"

"No. If he's so convinced he can run away from his problems, let him leave. He already wastes his time training like his father. Let him run away like him too."

_And there it is. Like fucking clockwork.  
_

He turns back towards his mother and shoots her a vicious look.

"You never saw him leave. But don't worry, mom, now you can." He snaps the band in his hair letting it fall free. Chi Chi's head tilts up with barely contained rage that her son would dare-  and he does. He turns and walks out the door. A plate shatters on the wall next to him as he exits but he doesn't flinch. He just picks up the pace as soon as the cold air hits him. He starts running. Before he realizes it, he's sprinting, he's bolting through the forest at top speed. So fast the human eye can't see him, he leaves a narrow strip of destruction in his wake. He runs until the forest ends, turning into a vast wasteland. Only when he stands on the edge of a cliff does he stop. He senses a ki nearby.

  
_Vegeta?_

  
He lifts up into the air and spots him a short distance away and lands a couple meters behind him. He's got a stack of beers and a few bottles of alcohol next to him. Goten walks up behind him

"You drink?" Vegeta looks over his shoulder with a strange look. It's dark and he's just a little buzzed. It takes him a long time to respond.

"K-... Goten?"

"Yeah."

"No. I don't drink." He hands him a beer and turns back towards the wasteland.

"Heh... me neither." He pops the tin lid with a satisfying hiss and sits down next to him looking out at what used to be mountains but were now large piles of blasted boulders.

He's not sure if this was damage is from years past or if it was done tonight. He doesn't have the energy to ask.

"Lab told me we'll have two new bots to destroy tomorrow."

"Cheers to that." they tap cans and don't exchange another word. He wakes up the following afternoon on Capsule Corp's couch wishing he had never woken up at all. 

 

  
\---

 

He finally gains the nerves to knock. His fist falls through as the door is opened for him. His father stands there with a jovial look on his face. _Far too happy for the shitshow he came back to,_ in Goten's opinion.

"Hey, Goten!" He steps inside the familiar house. It hasn't changed at all save the new Saiyan addition. Chi Chi is in the kitchen preparing dinner and he can't resist sniffing the air with a hum.

When she turns to face her youngest son he thinks she's going to break down. His father is in his periphery and he's wary that he has no other choice but to apologize and ask her forgiveness if she decides seeing her son for the first time in four years is too much to bare. Even if Goku wasn't here, he knows that's what he should do, but he's not sure if he's ready. He's not sure if it will be genuine.

She doesn't break down in front of him. She simply drops the spoon into the pot rushes over to him for a hug without saying a word.

It is not until she finally pulls back, that she starts to bombard him with questions.

"Goten! Goten, you're back! Are you ok? How have you been?"  
"Yes. I'm fine...."  
"Gohan said you're still in school, are you still in school? How's it going?"  
"Yeah, college is fine..."  
"Are you going to graduate or stay another year?"  
"I don't know, I'll probably be done before next summer..."  
"Goten" she touches his cheek,  "you're so pale, and your eyes look red, are you sick?"  
"No, I'm not sick."  
"You stand like you're tired, you should stand up straighter-"  
"I just stayed up a little late last night..."  
"Oh, that's so terrible for you, I know your courses must be stressful- but you know you shouldn-"  
"I don't plan on making a habit of it."  
"Oh, well, how long has it been since you've eaten properly? Are you losing weight? You know I've been so concer-"  
"I'm eating enough, mom, don't worry. "  
"But you haven't been eating here, so how can I be sure, are you going to come back for dinner? I'm making roasted pork"  
"I guess we'll be back in time for dinner..." a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth even as she starts fussing over his new hair. He reflexively reaches for her hand and grasps it. He manages to gently pull it away and set it back at her side with out giving her cause for alarm.

"Mom, I told you...I'm fine." She's so good at resuming things as normal. Gohan must have gotten that from her and for once he was thankful for it. However, in fragile situations it only takes one tap to break the glass.

"Have you met a decent girl yet?" In the blink of an eye all the ease that was barely there in the first place has evaporated leaving a tense void. Goten was hoping it would be a little longer before she said something. He's also surprised it wasn't the first thing out of her mouth.

He stares at her for a long time. Goku sitting at the table with a plate of food in front of him, fork half way to his mouth. He stops and looks up at his son with a half smile, "You're awful quiet." He thinks he's being cheeky, he doesn't realize just how sore of a spot this is for his son.

"No." He says flatly changing the tone of the room.

"Well, with your daring new look, I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time." His mother overlooks his obvious distaste for the questions.

His eyes flutter with tired annoyance. "Yep. I'm sure." _I'll 'turn it off for a few hours', just for you Gohan. You and your perfect world without a fucked up little brother._

Goku looks back down at his plate and finishes shoveling it into his face to avoid being pulled into whatever disagreement they had in this department.

"But you can't go around wearing these old gym clothes if you want-"

"Mom. I didn't come here to have this conversation again. I came here to train. With dad. And that's what I'm going to do. So I'm going to keep wearing my 'old gym clothes' and I'm going to go train. Now." He looks at his father who shifts with discomfort, knowing he's clearly missing something, then stands up and starts walking towards the door. Goku leans in to kiss her on the cheek as he leaves but she shies away and glares at her son.

Goten starts pushing him out the door, "Go. Just go, she's always like this. Bye Mom. See you in another few years." He says with a bitter tone. He hears something crack as he leaves and he's sure he's made her cry again. And just like last time he doesn't stay to see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> layin it on thick! Didn't originally intend to put this in, was supposed to be the father-son spar this chapter, but I felt like the mother-son interaction needed a little development D:


	18. All I Wanted was a Decent Spar

The flight to the waste land is tense and quiet. Goku keeps opening his mouth to say something but then looks back at his son's solemn face and reconsiders. Finally they touch down onto a windy plateau. Goten watches his father's hair whip in the wind and resists the urge to run his fingers through his own, not wanting to feel how short it is. He absently kicks at the rocks, hands in his pockets, instead while his dad warms up.  
  
"You sure you don't wanna... take a few minutes?"  
  
"To what? Stretch? No, I'm fine." He looks back down at the ground, "I don't need it." he mutters just out of his dad's hearing.  
  
"Alright, then, I guess let's see what you got."  
  
The only sweat breaking on Goten is from trying to refrain from injuring his father. He's made the conscious decision to hold back because it isn't a competition for power. Not with this opponent. He's just an excuse to get out of the house. This spar is just way to gauge his father. Figure out _what's so great about 'Earth's Hero_?' And finally give Goku what he wants so he'll leave him alone for a while. Though he has the aching feeling his father is going to try and make this a regular occurrence. _Maybe I should spar with him more often._ Because if nothing else, this has been a good exercise in control. He tries to take his time studying the full Saiyan's technique instead of taking advantage of slow movement to get in an easy hit. Even in base form, this isn't a challenge though it frustrates him to no end that Goku can still get in a good punch here and there. Just enough to keep him on his toes.

"You've definitely been training." His father chides with a friendly smile.

"Yeah" Goten doges. _I thought he'd be faster than this..._

"A lot."

He snorts and counters knocking Goku back. _and stronger... then again... he did miss the last decade and a half._

"Your technique is good too." _Looks similar to Vegeta's, but with... flare..._ "Except for all your excessive movement." He lands a jab. _They've definitely been training together... Not fights... spars, drills, katas... real training. There's no other way he could be this experienced. He's even trying to test me..._

Goten smirks. He powers up a small ki blast and launches it at his father who deflects it just in time. Goku grins back at him and flashes into Super Saiyan, "Let's kick it up a notch."

"Thought you'd never ask." Goten follows.

He finds himself agonized by the failure of his attempts to goad his father into putting in a little more effort. _I thought you were supposed to be the best._ He matches whatever Goten puts out, but never escalates. It doesn't occur to him that he's being tested too. Being played with, waiting for him to make all the moves.

Goten uses a momentary hesitation on Goku's face to go in for a solid right straight but his father disappears. Goten leans forward, off balanced and is thrown into the ground by a hard hit to the back of the head.

He gets up and scowls at his father, "that's cheating, you can't use that technique."

Goku hovers above him smiling, "Why not? You have no idea what kind of enemy you'll be facing in the future."

He rubs the spot where Goku hit him and laughs darkly, "if that's how you wanna play then." He launches full speed and tackles him mid air and bringing him down to the ground. It doesn't take much maneuvering to put him in a painful arm bar. He starts to press up with his hips against Goku's elbow and grins. A part of him is hoping he'll get to hear the snap. He never tapped for Vegeta. Half the time it was because he could escape. Half the time it was because he was willing to risk recurrent, bordering on permanent, injury to his joints rather than give up. They had long since stopped those types of drills because of his unnerving levels of persistence. Still, he'd like to hear that sound, just once, as the sound of victory instead of defeat. "Tap."

Goku twists in an attempt to escape, "Vegeta's right, you pull your punches." The strain in his voice is more apparent than worry in his eyes, but there are equal amounts of both as he charges up a blast with his free hand. Goten lets the blast hit him in the face without blocking so he can keep his grip and continue pressing up with his hips. Goku quickly realizes that he's not getting out of this without doing something risky. He realizes that provoking his son to power up further and further on his own accord was foolish even in a friendly spar. He can't overpower him, _I'm not even close_ , and Vegeta's right, he doesn't _know_ what his son is capable of. He taps Goten's leg twice and his son lets him go with disappointed sigh.

He rubs at his elbow,  "I knew you were holding back, but not this much." he tries his best to not look flustered by how much ki his son was hiding. _His face doesn't even have a scratch from the blast_. "How strong are you?"

"Stronger than you, I guess. I've had a 15 year advantage though."

"Yeah... Show me."

"What?"

"Show me, I want to see how strong you are. I knew you were pulling back, but you still surprised me. Show me."

"You want me... to just... power up?"

"Yeah!" he says with a proud smile, "I want to see how far you've come."

A part of him is jumping with excitement because he wants to see the look on his father's face, he never gets to power up fully. Another more cautious side asks if that will give him away... His ego wins and he jumps into Super Saiyan 2 with a prideful tilt of his head. As he begins to raise his ki even higher he feels a spell of dizziness start wrapping around his head. He decides not to show his father his full potential and instead focuses on not throwing up.

Goku studies him for a moment, then closes his eyes. "Incredible." He whispers. Goten takes that as he cue to drop back into base form with an exhausted breath. "It was you I felt last night... You can go higher than that. Can't you?"

"I-..."

"Show me. Don't hold back. I wanna know what to train towards."

He lets out a nervous laugh, "Last night...? You felt that?"

"Yeah, it spiked too fast for me to pin point it so at first, I thought it must have been Gohan... but it was you." Then a thought strikes him. "You must be almost as strong as Vegeta, then. Maybe stronger..." His brows find themselves in an unsettled twist.   

"No." Goten responds coldly, "No, he broke through where I'm at a few years back I think. I've never... seen it, but I feel it every time we fight." _especially when we fight about reckless decisions of mine._ "He's stronger."

"I don't think it's by much." His mind wanders back to the bruising his son had when he first saw him. _How did he get that injured if he's this powerful? Did he... let... Vegeta do that?_

Goten bristles with discomfort at the direction of the conversation, "You have no idea how strong he is now."

"I don't know, I'm pretty good at sensing ki, and he doesn't usually hide it unless there's a reason... I think I know exactly how strong he is."

"How sure can you be? You thought that was Gohan last night."

"You're brothers. It's harder to tell family members apart." he huffs. "He was the strongest Saiyan after Cell, why would I have assumed it was you?"

"Because only I have kept up with tr- it doesn't matter! The point is I'm not even close to Vegeta's level right now."

"You are... you definitely were last night. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. It was."

"What where you doing? That energy was..."  he whistles. "Though it felt a bit strange coming out of nowhere."

He doesn't like the direction of this conversation and tries to think of a way to turn it around. Then he remembers that he might have just the thing for such an opportune moment.

"I was... I was training with Capsule Corp tech." His face splits open into a wide grin.

"What? Tech? Like bots?"

"No, better! Do you want to try and spar me at full power?" He'd held on to it to have against Vegeta, _just in case_.... But given Bra's last invention... _it might be better to have someone test this one for me._

"Maybe after a few weeks in the spirit room." He chuckles nervously.

"The what?"

"The... you don't know about the room of spirit and time? On Kami's lookout?"

"Is that the place Gohan talked about? Where a day out here is a year in there or something weird like that?"

"You've never used it?" _And you've gotten this strong?_

"No, What's the point?"

"I- well, there isn't one I guess... what's the 'tech' you were usin'?"

"It's.. a little-" He feels his pockets to see if he happened to bring it with him. "Wait here, I left it at Gohan's house."

"Oh, I'll come wi-"

"No, no, no" he cuts him off defensively, _the last thing you need to see is Gohan lecture me about my extra-curricular 'training' last night,_ "No. It'll only take me ten minutes." With that he takes off towards Gohan's house.

  
  
\----

  
  
He arrives at the third floor window and lifts it open. He creeps in with lowered ki and not a sound. The coast is clear. He starts opening his drawers and rifling through them. He tries to remember what pants he was wearing when he went to Bra's dungeon. He pulls up a pair of familiar and lightly worn jeans. He starts feeling the pockets and a small little ring with an 'x' on it falls out on to his hand. He smiles.

"You won't find it."

 _Damn_! His heart stops momentarily. He closes his hand and drops the pants he was holding.

"Find... what?"

"That bracelet. Whatever that device was you wore last night. I don't know what in Kami's name gave Bra the bright idea to give you something like that." he walks over to his little brother and turns him around, "but it could have been so much worse! So much worse. Goten" he pulls him into a hug, "Goten I'm so worried about you."

"Oh." He uses the opportunity to slip the ring into his pocket. "You really shouldn't be..." he shifts awkwardly.

"How can you say that? How-" he lets go of his brother, "'Ten! We found you in some strangers apartment across town passed out in a bathroom that had been completely destroyed by Ki. You scared who ever that was half to death coming down off whatever... whatever the hell that thing was! Not to mention me and Trunks!"

He can't suppress the brief pang of guilt. _Uhg, he had to bring Trunks into this._

"Speaking of which, I'm giving it to Trunks to destroy, since Bra apparently thinks it's perfectly fine to enable you and let you test out dangerous equipment. Kami, what's wrong with you kids!? I made sure he, at least, knows not to give it back to you." he says sternly. "And I-"

"Gohan, look this is great and all, you know how I love these bonding moments and that your lectures always help me reorganize my priorities but I'm late for a spar so if you could just hurry this up an-"

"What?! WHAT!? Why would you spar Vegeta after what he did?!"

"No, not with- with dad! Stupid!"

"Oh- you're sparing with... dad?" He feels his irritation at his brother's usual sharpness start to drain away. He's tempted to ask if he can come, but he doesn't want to interfere with whatever fragile relationship they're trying to build.

"Yeah."

"Really?"

Goten nods with an implied 'Obviously' dripping from his expression.

"Ha." he smiles with disbelief. "I guess... I won't keep you from that, then." _Maybe that'll be good for him... both of them._

"Thanks."

"Did you leave something behind or- why'd you stop in?" He looks around himself.

Goten pulls out his phone with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, of course."

 _Wait. How much stronger is he than dad?_ By the time the thought strikes him, Goten is already long gone and Gohan feels a cold chill run down his spine.

 

\---

  
His father's guard is down when he lands and he catches the briefest moment of discontent on his face before it perks back up.

Goten pulls a small ring out of his pocket.

Goku looks at it curiously, "What is that?"

"It's a Ki amplifier."

His go wide, "amplifier? That sounds... dangerous? Why would you have one of these? You train with that?"

"It's not- Bra invented it. Must have been why you thought I was so much stronger last night."

"She invented this? Gohan told me Trunks had taken over the company. Looks like she still got the brains... turned out just like her mother." he says softly turning over the ring between his fingers.

Goten lets out a snort of laughter, "I don't know if I'd say that." _I'm pretty sure Bulma didn't thrive on the pain of others._

"Why not?"

"I dont know, something about her eyes." _The blood lust in them when she gets you in her death grip._

"Yeah? She has pretty eyes?" He teases.

Goten shakes his head, "Sure, dad."

He waits for his son to say more on the subject but he never does. He looks back down at the ring. "I can't use this... it doesn't feel... fair."

"You said it yourself dad, there's no cheating, who knows what kind of enemy you'll face in the future. Besides, don't you wanna see what I can really do?"

He thinks about it, then nods in agreement, "I guess you're- I'm- right, heh. How does it work?"

"You just... put it on your finger and tap the 'x' with a little ki. It should work right away. Then we can spar, and you can see just how much my training has paid off."

He thinks this might be the best idea he's had in years. He should have asked about ki devices a long time ago so he and Bra could have already moved past the testing phase. _She might be crazy, but she is damn brilliant._ If this works, he'd have a solution to all his problems. He could get laid without worrying about control, though he'd need to be careful who he choose and, bonus, it would allow him to spar and train properly with someone who wasn't trying to kill him at the moment. _If... it works._ He figures since he's already familiar with the side effects, he could walk his father through the shitty aspects, the come up and come down...

Goku slips it on to his index finger. It only gets half way down before it's stuck.

"Sorry, it's a one-size-fits-all I guess."

He shrugs and taps it with a small prick of ki. "I don't feel anything."

"You have to give it a second." He looks at hopefully. The ring begins to glow and Goku shoots up in to Super Saiyan. "You don't have to power up now."

"I didn't" he lifts off the ground a little and looks around bewildered. "This is... wow! I feel... I feel, I dunno, I've never felt... like this before" he smiles broadly. "It's just flowing into me!" he looks at his hands and sees ki sparking around his fingertips. He turns around and begins charging up a ki blast to throw into the canyon.

"Ka- me- ha-me-" the blast he's gathering is dense and huge. Goten is having trouble imaging what it would do for someone as powerful as himself. He keeps waiting for the blast to be fired off, but it never does.

"Dad?"  He sees his father is breathing heavily and he touches his shoulder, "dad?"

The ball of light in his hands disappears and he begins clutching at his chest.

"Oh shit- Oh sh- dad!"

He falls to his knees and starts gasping. His Ki sky rockets and he screams out in agony. The force of his power up knocks Goten onto his back. When he gets back up he see's his father face down, in base form.

"Oooh shit. Ohh what have I done." He can feel his father's ki hanging on by threads. He quickly checks to make sure he's breathing and lets out a sigh of relief when he feels his pulse. He turns him over and looks at an unconscious Goku. He presses his hand to his chest and throws a jolt of Ki into him. He feels more start slowly returning after the initial jump. But it just pools there inside of him. It doesn't stir and neither does Goku.

"Well, you were right, Bra, it was definitely not ready."

He shakes his father and starts calling out to him but there's no response. He sits back on his heels, pulls out his phone and starts fretting about what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know! I'm sorry! But I had to do it. Please don't stop reading! T_T It'll get better I promise.
> 
> I should have tagged this "Gets SO MUCH WORSE before it gets better." then again better is a relative term... 
> 
>  
> 
> I will not be going for the classic amnesia trope... but if you think I'm also not belligerently looking for ways to include more Bra, you're wrong.


	19. Turning the Tables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final dialogue of this chapter was edited since it's original post.

He has just enough time to pull the cracked smoking ring off Goku's lightly burned finger before he senses his brother. He curses under his breath while shoving the tiny piece of metal into his pocket.

Gohan almost falls over from how hard his landing is. He's breathing heavily and Goten is impressed with the speed he must have been going to get here that quickly.

"Gohan-" His brother pushes past him and kneels by their father. He checks his pulse and starts inspecting him for injuries. He pulls out the small bag of senzu and presses one into his mouth but his father doesn't stir.

"What did you do to him?" He looks at each limb carefully finding nothing, "What did you- Goten... his ki. What have you..." he pulls the bean back out of his mouth deciding they're worthless if he's just going to choke on them. 

"Relax, he's just knocked out."

"Relax? You want me to RELAX because he's 'just knocked out'?" He stands up and lets his energy spike. "'Ten. I felt his ki plummet to nothing! He's not just 'knocked out!' What did you do?"

"I didn't _do_ anything."

"Oh. He just knocked himself out then?"

"And so what if he did?"

"Goten!! What kind of- Kami! I can't believe you sometimes! You make me so damn mad I-"

"What! So damn mad you what? You going to do something?" Gohan flinches when Goten thrusts his face and chest towards him. "Tch. Didn't think so. Weak.... He's fine." Gohan backs down out of necessity. He knows better than to walk into a fight he can't win. Unlike his brother. They both look down at their father's vacant face.

"Kami, Goten. He's not fine. He's just laying there, like-" _like you last night... before you opened the door, I felt your energy drop the same way..._ "You have another one of those ki dampeners don't you?" he pauses and his eyes widen with realization, "That's what you were looking for-"

 _What the fuck? How did he- maybe that PhD was worth it,_ "No, no, I don't have anymore. You can ask Bra. It was just the one. You took the only one. Ask her." His brother narrows his eyes at him.

"Then what happened?"

"We were sparring! Just like I told you earlier... he got excited about how... how strong I was and asked me to power up so I did."

"And then what, he asked you to hit him like that?"

"Yes." He says matter of factly.

"Oh come on, 'Ten, I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Is it really that hard to believe?" _You even suggested it,_ "That's the type of person he is. You should know that better than me."

"Goten! Even if I believed he, in some absurd failure of logic, asked you to try and spar him at full power, why would you agree? Why?! Are you as brain damaged as he is?" The comment comes out before he has time to think it through and he inhales sharply with regret. "'Ten, you know you vastly outclass him. You knew you could hurt him. Why on Earth would you agree to something like that? I know you're angry at him, but-"

"Because he's just like everyone said!" the words come out rushed and splintered with truth. "All he wants is to get stronger. All he wants to do is train. He's been asking me almost every day since he came back if he could spar with me. And finally I said yes because I figured it couldn't hurt to finally have someone in my life who takes an interest in my hobbies instead of always telling me I'm wasting my time!" He pauses to gauge Gohan's reaction and take a breath, "He won't do it by beating the shit out of me either. So, of course when he asked me to hit him full power I said yes! I didn't- I didn't think he'd get knocked out in one hit." his voice drops, "I thought he was going to be... better."

Gohan frowns and adjusts his glasses more or less accepting of his response, "Yeah, he seems to have that effect on people."

"Not like it takes much to disappoint you though. At least my expectations were let down in an area he can improve. You probably gave up on him the moment he came back."

Gohan ignores his brother's quip and tries to redirect the conversation to more important matters, "Neither Dende nor Senzu can do much for head injuries." _Dad would have been different a long time ago if that were the case._ "His ki doesn't feel right though, maybe we should take him to a hospital."

"What? He's Saiyan, they can't do anything for him there." _Besides, it's going to be so much harder to sneak in Bra to a hospital,_ "They have enough trouble when either one us comes in. Do you know how many times Trunks has been pronounced dead on scene from alcohol poisoning only to wake up like two minutes later and finish the Keg?"

"Goten- uhg-" he pinches the bridge of his nose underneath his glasses with muted exasperation, a gesture that always makes Goten smile, "please don't tell me these things. It does not make me feel better about Pan's so called relationship with him."

 _Oh, so you do know. And it's a sore point. File that information away for later_ , "My point is, he's going to be fine. He probably just needs... to sleep it off."

Gohan lowers his hand and raises a brow, "So I guess we should just leave him here then? Let the wolves have him while he sleeps away his concussion. Great Idea, 'Ten, you always seem to have such creative solutions to your problems."

"Shut up, obviously that's not what I'm suggesting. Why don't we take him... to your house?"

"My house? If anything we should take him back to mom's."

"No, no! She'll lose her mind. And... I- she's not very happy with me right now. I might have... said something when I was over earlier."

"You haven't seen her in years and you managed to make it worse!?"

"Hey! She brought it up! I tried to do what _you_ said and pretend but she made it fucking impossible for me!"

"I'm sure she did. I'm sure it's anyone else's fault but yours."

"Ahh, Gohan!! That's not-! Look, she'll make a huge deal out of it. Out of me. Out of dad. You know she will. Just let him sleep it off at your house. He can go back tomorrow. He'll be fine, She'll be fine. I'm sure she's used to it by now anyway."

Gohan let's out a long sigh and debates his options. He also doesn't want to deal with the mess of getting his mother worked up over what hopefully looks worse than it is. He hates it when Goten makes a valid point.

"Alright. I'll call her and let her know he's staying at my house for the night. Quality time with his sons, right?" he glares at Goten who seems suddenly very interested in the clouds, "But if he's not awake by morning I'm taking him to a hospital and telling her what happened."

"Great, I'm sure he's fine though." Goten smiles and moves to pick up their father. Gohan stops him and lifts their father over his own shoulder. Something in the back of his head said it still wasn't past Goten to 'accidentally' drop him.

  
\----

  
  
He feels out the softly humming kis one more time before getting up from bed. He steps carefully, avoiding the creaky boards, to the room Goku's in. He stares at his father and gently presses on his chest. His ki feels still and distant.

  
"Fuck." He paces a few times before finally pulling out his phone and tapping out an SOS. The response is immediate.

  
  
Bra 1204  
 What do you mean you need my help?

 

He's in the middle of a reply when it starts buzzing in his hands. He puts it up to his ear.

"'Ten, what the fuck is so important that you had to wake me up?"

"So... you know how your devices have side effects?"

"Oh, shit. Did you like, grow a third arm made of Ki?" she says sleepily, "That would be kind of cool."

"Not... exactly." He looks at the shallow rise and fall in Goku's chest. "I... tested one of your devices on someone else."

"Ok." he hears her shift and her voice drop into a serious tone, "Look, I get why you called me, but really not appropriate to talk on the phone about. You need to hang up, like right now, take the band, you might have to cut the guys hand off or whatever but then just blast the area to nothing and leave. They weren't important, right? You're not in public?"

"What? Bra, what are you talking about? Why would I do any of that?"

"Oh-" he hears her sigh, "he's still alive? I'm assuming it's a he. What happened? He go into a coma?"

"Wait- was that your protocol for dealing with a body? What the fuck?! How often do your test subjects die? Did you think I was gonna die?"

"I don't see how that's relevant, but No, 'Ten, I didn't think you were going to _die_. Is he conscious or not?"

 _And here I was, naively thinking they had been assault charges. Should have known it was worse._ "No, he's not. You going to help me or what?"

"Depends. Why should I? He's just some stupid human. Cut his hand off and take the band. Can't have that in the possession of the police, you know. It's valuable and not patented."

"Why would I cut his- never mind. He's not just some stupid human."

"Ooh, so you did find a beau? I didn't believe Trunks when he told me. He's always giving you more credit than your worth. I'd have bet the company's fortune that you didn't know the names of the last ten guys you'd fucked, but he kept insisting... tell me, is he cute? How strong is he? What's he look-"

"No! Bra! Shut up! oh my god, you and Trunks are the worst- No. ...It's my dad."

He hears her bust out into grating high pitched laughter. "WHAT?! You put it on your dad?! Whyyy? Oh my god, 'Ten, you are insane! I never know, I just never fucking know what you're gonna do. See, _this_ is why I give you ki bands. Ooh my god, this changes everything. I'll be over as soon as I can. Answer me some questions first if you can," He hears her start moving around. "How long has he been out?"

"About... six-ish hours now."

"His Ki, is it kind of fucked up and unresponsive? I can't really tell from this far away."

"Yea, it is. Is that a good sign?"

"No, it's not. Is it at least at his normal level?"

"I think so, but I had to jump it."

"You what? Hold on" he hears her open a drawer and pull something out, "walk me through exactly what happened."

"Uh, he put it on and then his energy spiked like crazy and there was a shock-wave that knocked me back. When I got back up he was passed out, still breathing but his ki was draining fast so I bolted him with some of mine and then it started stabilizing."

"...wait, it spiked when he put it on? That was _him_ I felt earlier?"

"Yes."

"Hm. And this happened with the blocker I gave you?"

"Mm-hm."

"It was a Ki blocker right?"

"Yup."

He hears her mutter something, scattering papers, "Uhg, I'm definitely going to need to stop back at my lab. Why do you have to inconvenience me, 'Ten?"

"It doesn't matter whether it was a ki blocker or not, right?"

"Uh, yeah it matters. Don't be stupid. My equipment is extremely sensitive."

He mouths a few silent curses before admitting, "It wasn't a ki blocker." He squeezes his eyes shut and holds his breath waiting for her response.

"I don't- isn't that what I gave you?"

"It was, but I... I took something else, too."

There's a long painful pause before her unbearable shrieking breaks into the room "WHAT?!!? WHAT DID YOU TAKE?" He lowers the volume on his phone to save his ears.

"Bra- listen-"

"YOU STOLE FROM MY LAB? AHHHHHHHHHHH-" he holds the phone away from his face even though it's almost muted as she screams.

She stops to take a breath.

"Are you- are you done now?"

"AHHH! I'm going to fucking kill you!" he swore for a second he could feel the fire she was trying to breathe fire through the phone "Yes! I'm done! What the fuck did you take?!?"

"Amplifier."

"Oh my f-  'Ten!! you're such an idiot!!! AHHH! Those weren't even close- and now I have to start all over- Aaaa- you idio-" He holds it away from his face again and waits until she stops talking. She doesn't, so he speaks over her.

"You're still coming over, right?"

"AH! Yes! I'm coming over! If for no other reason than getting MY invention out of your idiot hands!" she calms down after a moment "...and I'm kinda curious about Goku."

"Curious how?" he asks immediately suspicious of the way she says that word.

"Just... you know... _curious._ I don't think I've ever really met the guy. Was he everything you thought he'd be?"

"Well, he's lying here basically dead to the world again, so, no, not really. Anyway, second floor, third window from the right, back of the house, I'll let you in. Try to be quiet. Everyone's asleep."

"Uhg! I have to come in through a window?"

"Bra-"

"Don't worry, I'm already on my way." she hangs up the phone.

\----

  
He is sitting cross armed on a chair in the corner of the room starting to doze off when he hears tapping on glass. He lifts his head and looks at the window where two eerily bright blue eyes framed by straight locks of blue hair are searching the room for him.

Her face lights up when she sees him approach the window to open it. She climbs in with a backpack.

"Ring. Now." She thrusts an open palm into his face.

"Ok, ok." He reaches into his pocket and dumps the charred metal in her hand.

"A-"

"SHH!"

She whispers a scream. "You ruined it! You've set me back months!" She fumes as quietly as she can manage before stuffing it into her back pocket and trying to kill him with the look in her eyes as she pushes past him and walks towards the quiet figure on the bed.

"Kami, 'ten!" her eyes widen as she stares down at Goku, then back at him. "He looks exactly like you! I mean before you cut your hair... but even his face! That's so weird."

He rolls his eyes, "Yeah, I know."

"Do you? 'Cause I mean he looks _exactly_ like you."

"Yes! I do know!" He whispers angrily.

"Does... the rest of him look like you?" She begins to pull the sheets back over his torso until Goten stops her.

"Not what you're here for, kami, you're a fucking freak."

She smirks, "It's purely scientific interest." She takes a small pen light out and shines it in one of Goku's eyes. "Oh, wow. He's really out. No dilation or anything."

"No shit. That's why you're here."

She ignores him and places a very manicured hand on Goku's bare chest. She closes her eyes for a moment focusing on his ki. After a moment she pulls back abruptly and starts reaching into her bag.

"What's wrong?"

"He might have a chance is all."

She pulls a silver semi circular piece of metal and taps each end with ki before brushing Goku's bangs back and placing it over his forehead. As soon as it hits his skin it attaches and he can see a light on either end echo into his temples. She pulls out a thin cords of flexible metal and starts untwisting them from each other.

"What's that do?"

"Excites ki. Hopefully."  

"Do they all work like that?"

"Like what?"

"You have to touch all your devices with ki to activate them. Are they all like that?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"'Ten." She sets down the wiry contraption in her lap, "I am trying to work my magic here. Why don't you go find something better to do instead of annoying with me with questions. I might just 'mess up' because of your idiocy and then where would you be?"

"I'll take that risk. It'd be worse to leave you here alone with him. Who knows what kind of weird fucked up shit you have in that back pack for 'scientific interest.'"

She smiles and starts wrapping the metal around Goku's left arm then taps it in various places with ki and it too begins to glow.

"What's that? Why does it go on his arm?"

"Stop talking! You stole from my lab. You don't get to know anything. You're lucky I'm even here right now digging you out of what would have been 2nd degree murder."

"Hm." He watches the softly pulsing light flow through the cables and tries to remain quiet for a few minutes wondering what kind of metal that must be to soak up ki like that, "What about the dampener though? Are you still going to tweak it for me?"

"Over my dead body!" She huffs, "Maybe. Your misadventures do have a tendency to keep me entertained. ...I'd have to get it from Gohan somehow. He called me an 'enabler' of your behavioral problems" she rolls her eyes, "and said he was giving it to Trunks, who I'm sure will try to destroy it. Uuuhg, why are older brothers so annoying? Don't they know we just want to have fun?"

Goten shrugs with a smile. "I think it's still here somewhere. I saw Pan with it earlier today. Gohan probably trusted her to give to him while he was at work, but she's still here on a Saturday night... so I guess they're not talking right now."

"Really? Again? I hate them so much. Every time I see them break up and get back together I want to throw up."

"Right? They're disgusting."

They both feel Goku's ki start to 'wake up'. The glowing band wrapped from his wrist to his shoulder begins to smoke lightly and he covers his nose with his arm to block the burning smell.

"Is that ok?"

"Yeah, it's probably fine."

The band around his head pulses with light and Goku shoots up open mouthed. It takes him a moment to pull in a sharp breath and start trying to rip at the hot wiry bands off his arm but they stay in place, stuck to him. Bra struggles to try and stop him but he pushes her away.

"Ah- what- what is th- Goten? Where am I?" He stumbles out of the bed still fidgeting with the hot wires on his arm.

"Calm down. You won't be able to get it off yourself, let me take it off for you." She says reaching towards the one on his head.

"Who are you?" he eyes her suspiciously, "Are you a doctor? Am I in a hospital?" He starts backing up until he thuds quietly into a wall "are these needles? What is this!? Is it needl-"

"No, no, no, I'm not a doctor." she stands up and shows him her empty hands, "I'm... I'm Bra. Vegeta's daughter."

"Vegeta's...?"

"Yeah."

Goten hits the lights and Goku looks around at the room he's in. He let's her approach him and gently tap at and remove the head band, then tap at and unravel the one wrapped around his fore arm and bicep. Goten is sure there's something not so scientific in the look she gives him.

"Where am I?"

"Gohan's house. You're in one of the guest rooms."

"But we were... we were just sparring." his gaze locks on the open window, "What time is it?"

"It's one o'clock in the morning."

"What?" Goku rubs the red marks spiraling down his arm. "What happened?"

 _That depends..._ "What's the last thing you remember?"

He looks distrustfully at Goten. Then casts his eyes towards the other half who is sitting on the corner of the bed, looking at him while carefully handling the hot pieces of metal. His face lights up and his expression shifts back to his natural smile, "Bra?"

"The one and only."

"I see why he likes you, you're so pretty." _  
_

"Oh" she flips her hair, "Thank you, Mr. Son-"

"You don't have to be so formal. You can call me Goku."  

"Thank you, _Goku._ " He bristles with discomfort at the way she says his name. It reminds him of the voice Chi Chi tries to use when they're in bed together.

"Why _who_ likes her?"

"You." He laughs. "You were right about her eyes-"

"He said my eyes were pretty? And here I was thinking you weren't capable of saying anything nice to me." She pouts at Goten.

He let's out a groan, "Dad, don't feed the she-demon compliments. It only encourages her."

"Oh, that's so cute! I didn't know you had a nickname for me too."

Goku's not sure what kind of relationship this was, but he certainly wasn't in a position to judge, "Are you two...?"

"No. No... Never. We're not even friends."

"Oh... then, what is she doing here?"

"He's just being coy, Goku! I'm here helping Goten, my _best_ friend in the whooooole wiide world, after he fucked up biiig time." She talks with a wide smile, the type that attempts to reassure him everything's ok, despite her language, despite his son trying to escape her grip on him.

"That's- alright." his laugh is somewhat nervous, not sure exactly if he should trust either of them now, "What was that... that thing on me?" Bra and Goten exchange looks.

"Well you said you, uh... remember sparing me, right?"

"Yes. We were just the desert and-" his face scrunches in thought as he tries to walk himself through the day, "You gave me something, didn't you? So we could spar more? You had me wear a... some kind of ring? that's the last thing I remember."

His gaze shifts back to Bra who's biting back a smile trying her hardest not to blurt, 'You got yourself into this, you get yourself out' out loud. And she's curious what he'll say.

 _Fuck._ "Yeah, that ring... it was a ki amplifier so we could spar full force. But it, uh, I guess it wasn't calibrated properly and knocked you out instead."

"Uhg, you really tried to use it for training? Boring. Wasted it for nothing." She mutters under her breath to him.

"Bra, shut-" he cuts off his whisper and tries to silence her with a look.

"Ki amplifier" Goku repeats slowly.

"Yeah."

"And... It didn't work?"

"It did for like... a minute."

"Oh, did it really?"

"Yeah his power was crazy for a second. I almost got to see the ka-me-ha-me." Bra let's out an impressed 'humph' and starts examining the marks on Goku's arm. She pulls a notepad and pen out of her backpack and starts writing.

"Did you know it was going to do that?" He sits back on the bed giving bra full leverage over his singed limb while she sketches and details equations.

"No." He says honestly.

"It didn't do that with you?"

"No. That's why I called her. She knows her tech better than me, so you're alright, now. Right, Bra?"

She doesn't take her eyes off his arm and Goku notices she's put down the note pad and gotten awfully touchy. He starts to pull it away, which she reluctantly allows. "Yeah. He's fine. But, Goku," she purrs out his name, "if you have any side effects or weird ki or grow a third arm, please" she leans in while pushing her chest out. Goku bows back slightly in response and shoots his eyes towards the ceiling. "Don't hesitate to call."

"Sure..." he says forcing a smile.

She takes a moment to lean in just a little bit closer and Goten doesn't know if he's more irritated by her tactless desperation or amused by his father's awkward discomfort. She stands up, tugs on her shorts and starts gathering all of her equipment putting it away in her bag. Goten begins to hurry her and almost shoves her out the window.

She hesitates on the outside windowsill, her hands half way in half way out, "You're dad is like super hot. You should let me know if he and Chi Chi don't work out-"

He slams the window down, trying to catch her fingers but she's too fast and escapes sticking her tongue out at him before she flies away.

"Crazy bitch." he mutters before turning back to his father who stares at him with dark pools of questions.

"Look, I-... Gohan doesn't know I train with equipment like that. He thinks it's dangerous..."

"He's right. I don't think you should either." He rubs at the blistering marks.

"I know. But... It would... _mean a lot to me_ " he stomach almost heaves at his choice of words,  "if you didn't mention it to him... I told him I accidentally knocked you out."

Goku looks at him warily.

"I know, lying is... wrong, but Gohan and I... don't get along much lately and this would just be another reason for him to get upset with me."

"That seems to be a trend for you."

"What does?"

 _Lying._ "Not getting along. With anyone. Gohan, Chi Chi... Vegeta..."

Goku's bluntness cuts deep, "That's because no one gets along with Vegeta! But you're right. Thanks dad, for noticing. I'm so glad you could point it out and politely remind me that all of my relationships are tense at best and homicidal at worst, like I didn't already know. Because I'm sure yours are so much better." 

"I didn't... mean to upset you. It's just... worrying. Don't you have any friends? Doesn't anyone else..." _notice something's wrong?_

"I'm not up- Yes! I have friends. ...Trunks and I are still friends."

Goku stares at him with interest and makes him feel strangely vulnerable.

"And I guess Pan's ok too... Sometimes. " _When her face isn't stuck to Trunks'_. He tries to crack a smile, but it hurts. Seeing everyone have what he can't.

"What's wrong with Bra? She seems to like you. A lot."

He sighs, "So, so, so, so, many things are wrong with her."

"She looks just like Bulma... but with Vegeta's nose." He smiles, "She's cute."

"Why don't you date her then!" he snaps, "I'm sure she'd take you up on it. Fuck." he blows air up at the bangs which managed to escape Vegeta's wrath. "Please just... don't press the issue. She's not right in the head. and..." _He's going to find out eventually, right?_   "She's not my type."

Goku seems to take in this information and process and reprocess it. "Not your... type... ?"

"Type of person that I want to- I can't believe I have to explain this to you. This is embarrassing. Dad, she's-"

"Type of what?"

"I like! Men! I like men. There it is. That's my type. Type of people that I like to" he holds his breath, "fuck." He exhales. _Why was that so difficult? It's not like he'll care, right? He and Vegeta clearly had (have? No. Had.) some kind of... thing... between them. So why would he care? They're aliens. Do they even have a concept of-? Fuck, I really know nothing about this guy! What's he thin-_

"Oh. Ok."

He had anticipated a lot of different reactions but none of them were a simple declaration of acceptance.  "...'Oh, ok?' that's all you have to say?"

"There's not much to say..." he smiles, "it's how you are, right? You're Saiyan."

"I wish mom took the news as well as you..." He let's out a short laugh of disbelief, "what does it have to do with being Saiyan?"

"It's... common for Saiyans. Isn't it?" 

"What?" He feels his brain blank. 

"That's what... yeah, it's normal."

"Normal?!" he snorts, "Where the fuck did you get that idea? It's not even that common on Earth- common enough, but- how common is it for Saiyans?"

"Just, um, for the lower classes I think... it's, uh," Goku's face begins to turn red and his eyes flit away as the room grows very quiet. Goku looks at him and finally utters, "I really don't know much about it, just what Vegeta told me."

"Vegeta... told you... it's _common_ for the _lower classes_ to be- Why would he tell you th- no, why would you _believe_ that?" and it clicks. "Dad. Are you... are you gay?" he stops and waits for Goku to deny it, but he doesn't.

"That means you like... guys?"

"Yeah."

Goku stares at the floor his face hot with embarrassment, "I think he called it something else."

Goten's mouth drops open. "You're-" It would have been a relief if he didn't have so many questions. He knew Vegeta wasn't a nice guy, _but using someone's insecurity with themselves for a satisfying fuck?_ He had a lot of theories but he hadn't thought it was ___like that_. __ Any guilt he had about what he'd done was starting to evaporate and now he felt something unfamiliar, he almost... felt _bad_ for his father. _Wasn't he supposed to be Earth's hero?_ He had two kids. He had a family. He had- _I must be wrong..._ there's no way the man sitting in front of him, the had-been most powerful being in the galaxy, had been so thoroughly taken advantage of.

"And he told you... you're... what, that you're always thinking about the strongest hardest body oozing testosterone when you're alone at night because... you're _Saiyan_? A _low class_ Saiyan?" Goku nods hesitantly not sure if that's how he'd describe it, although Vegeta did seem to match that description. 

"Oh, oh no, dad, and you believed him?" _Wow, what a way to pack in an insult,_ _did he tell you only the lower class take it, too?_

His father's mortified expression tells him everything he needs to know. Although, maybe he shouldn't be so surprised because his father's reputation of naivety was currently preceding him after the events of this morning. _And Vegeta just ate that up, didn't he?_ It was starting to make sense now why his father was the one getting fucked. 

"What do you mean? I'm not- It _feels_... normal. Why wouldn't it be true?"

He just shakes his head and gives his dad a pitying look, "Yeah, I'm sure it feels like a lot of things... especially convenient. But you know what? I'll buy it. I'll buy that it's just one more fucked up Saiyan thing I inherited from you that drives everyone crazy, right?" He shakes his head again with a smile. _I suspected it was a power thing, but wow. Vegeta, you're a monster..._ "How did you ever manage to have a family?" it was rhetorical, but Goku didn't realize it and Goten let's him answer anyway.

"Chi Chi and I married so young... I knew something was wrong but- It was difficult." Goku begins knotting the sheets underneath his fingers,  "That doesn't mean I don't love her, and you and Gohan. I do. I just don't love her the way that she... Maybe she knows... You said she was angry at you about it? She gets mad at me a lot too."

He's still coming down from all the information, "Unless you said something, I doubt that's why she's always upset. I'm sure even Gohan never suspected and he knows everything. She's probably just always mad at you for leaving. You know, like everyone else?"

"No one else is mad. It's only you."

"Oh, dad. I'm not mad at you. I mean, I was, but, I'm not anymore. It's good to have you back. We have so much more in common than I ever realized!" He grins widely at him. Seeing Goten's canines gleam like that unsettles Goku and makes him doubt the words coming from between them, "This was a good talk, dad, I feel like we can finally reconnect. But hey, look, it's getting late, we told mom you'd be back tomorrow. Didn't want her worrying about you. (you know how she gets). So, catch some shut eye. We have a lot of training ahead of us."

His father opens his mouth but Goten already knows what he's going to say, "I promise I won't use anymore of that Ki tech. It's too dangerous, you're right. Today was a close call."

He's not sure what made his son change his mood so suddenly. He should feel relieved but the muscles in his shoulders and neck knot with tension. As his son leaves to get the best sleep he's had in months, he tosses and turns until day break asking himself what about Vegeta's words would make them 'convenient.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To answer the question that is surely eating at you, there are about /150/ beers in a keg. So, according to this, a motivated Saiyan such as Trunks can drink just about 150 beers in a sitting before going temporarily comatose.
> 
> Oh god, I'm sorry this took forever. That dialogue was killing me. The brother conversation was tricky, yes but oh man that father-son conversation went through a hundred revisions and I kept being mad at it until I decided to completely scrap the ending. And oh man, i'm so much happier with this than what I was going to post last week. I hope it was worth the wait.
> 
> Originally, it was going to end with a... fight of sorts... which will probably reappear later... and I was going to start wrapping up the story. But no, no, no Goten you won't let that happen quite yet, you have so much more planned don't you? Goku, why did you give him such an opening? You know he's going to take it. Hehehehe, next few chapters are gonna be a ride.


	20. Warped Perspective

  
Days turn to weeks turn to months and suddenly he's another semester closer to having to find something to do with his life other than waste all the money he'd made working for Capsule Corps in his teens on sitting around, training, studying just enough to get by and making the lives of those around him miserable just because he can.

Although the burgeoning connection with his father has turned out to be oddly... refreshing. Not that they say much. They train. During their long morning hours together, he's found that Goku's not shy, but he is rarely personal and their conversation several months ago was more or less a fluke forced out of him by the circumstances and Goten's badgering on the topic, and perhaps the hope on his father's end that it was going to go better. They haven't talked much since then and Goten is starting to think it _is_ nice. To have him back.

It still surprises him that it never comes up. That he knows about _them_. He's beginning to think Goku hasn't figured it out, that or is simply too hesitant to broach the subject. Too afraid of where that conversation will take him. Too nervous to shatter all of the fragile relationships he's just beginning to reform. And Goten feels sort of bad. He didn't realize his father would be so... innocent in all of this. He wanted to keep hating him so badly when he came back, but he was making it very difficult with that stupid grin. So, Goten doesn't push. _Not yet._ He doesn't want to rush into another bad decision that only gets the living shit beat out of him again.

For now, he's content with where things are. Everyone hated Vegeta and he was that much closer to not hating everyone around him as much as he hated himself. He even started talking to his mother again at Goku and Gohan's continued insistence. It was harder to say no when you were outnumbered. It's still tense. But it's better. He's not sure what Goku said to her to make her stop asking, but she only brings it up _every other_ time he sees her now, which he prefers because it gives him more time to get creative with his responses.  
  
_"Oh, Goten, you worry me always being alone. When are you going to settle down and get married to a nice girl? "_

_"Well, Mom, as you know, I want to stay true to my warrior heritage. So, you'll have to wait until I under go the Saiyan coming of age tradition and conquer a planet... I was thinking about Earth."_

_"Absolutely not, there will be no planet conquering sons in my house."_

_"Then I guess it remains to be seen, when I'll get married, if you won't let me abide by tradition."_

_"That didn't stop your father or your brother."_

_"They don't count. Dad hit his head and forgot and Gohan is... Gohan. I want to be a real Saiyan." He pretends to pout at her._ _His mother huffs and stirs the pot a little more aggressively while he presses his feet on the edge of the table top and leans his chair back staring at the ceiling with an amused smile. His father just sits there at the table silently cringing, especially at 'real Saiyan' line for reasons only Goten could begin to understand and everything is just starting to become bearably... Normal._  
  
Throughout these long months of training and lazy scheming, Goten slows down and takes the time to notice that even though his father isn't as strong as him, he fights with an unparalleled fluidity. He rarely holds back and his execution is nearly perfect every time. Goten has remained the student, trying to pick up on the nuances of technique that Goku can't explain.

He sees where his natural aptitude to improve comes from as his father makes quick easy strides in power. He was still far behind. It would be a few years, or maybe one or two Earth threatening super villains, before he was at his level. Although, if Goten kept training like this too he wonders if his father will ever catch up.

Regardless, it's been the break he needed, their regular sparring. He didn't realize reducing the weight of the pain he's carried with him all these years could come from something he'd already been practicing like religion. It's different now though. Training. It was so hard to hate someone who didn't hate you back, who wanted nothing more than to make you _not_ hate them. It was easier to focus when there was no mutual frustration, no pent up feelings at an opponent who wasn't there, no repressed rage towards each other for reminding them of the person they thought, or pretended they hated. It was easier to focus on tactic when there was no using each other to vent about a shared enemy. Training with Goku was a completely different game than training with Vegeta and on hot summer mornings like this the differences in the last two remaining Saiyans could become glaring. Heightened by the heat and exhausting rays of the sun. In fact it was starting to become easy to see why training never helped before.

Vegeta was efficient, brutal and unrelenting. He did not believe in rest days. He did not believe in fun. He always fights to kill -or since his time on Earth, incapacitate- and Goten has learned over the years that it's probably a reflex, the result of a life of constant combat; the largest tell tale sign being how much he hates being snuck up on, which Goten, of course, would try to do all the time. Still, he fights and trains like he's on a battlefield. Even simple drills with him could get dangerously competitive and despite everything being calculated, routinized and technical to a compulsive degree he's never afraid to get creative, to use any advantage he can to maintain the upper-hand. Goten has learned from this that in order to beat Vegeta you have to no only match his brutality but also outwit him, and he's very difficult to outwit. Sometimes, if you're willing to take the risk, you can tap into his egomania, but that did not always ensure victory.

His father... was different. Once he pushed past the disappointment of their first spar, his lack of strength and speed, he is able to see that he doesn't fight like a soldier. He fights like a martial artist. Every kick, every hit, is the stroke of a brush on the canvas that is his opponent. He doesn't calculate. He doesn't need to think about what he's doing. _Doesn't need to think about a lot of things, apparently._ Everything flows through him like water and he has a mastery over his form that beats committing routine to muscle memory. There were only two ways to beat him in a fair fight. You either had to be better than him or wait for him to let his guard down. _Which he does constantly,_ much to Goten's irritation and he's not sure if it formed from the habit of underestimating his opponents because he's used to being so much stronger or if it's an unadjustable facet of his soft personality.

That was different too. Goku was incredibly soft.

His interactions with Chi Chi, with Pan, with Gohan all revealed how innocuous he was. Goten watched them all carefully trying to learn more about this super hero-like figure, who's supposed to be his father, but acts younger than him half the time, and showed back up in his life at the most convenient time.

He thinks it's almost disheartening to believe the world ever put their trust in someone so... simple, regardless of strength. He understands why that must have frustrated Vegeta who holds strength of both body and _mind_ above everything else. To have been outwitted by... _that._

On this particularly slow Saturday morning, he watches his father try to understand the simple mechanics of various apps on his phone as explained by a giggling Pan. He snorts and realizes he can't imagine what Goku could have possibly seen in someone like Vegeta. Goten, at least, was as shallow as he was strong. He could over look Vegeta's _winning personality_ and focus on those undeniably attractive features and overwhelming power. He couldn't say the same for his father and he strongly doubted those things were what drew him. He could be wrong, but Goku really was too painfully nice for his own good. He tried _so_ hard to please others based on what he knew of acceptable social customs and as a result watching him with Chi Chi was truly awful.

Goten wasn't sure who he pitied more. His mother who seemed to be warming back up to her estranged husband, clearly oblivious to his _inclinations_ , or Goku who almost always initiated their kisses, because he obviously thought that was what he supposed to do to make her happy (and he was right, it did). He wasn't even sure who was trying harder to pretend they were exactly what they were supposed to be.

His gaze shifts from Pan and Goku, who is still asking questions about this tricky new device he has to figure out, to the kitchen window. Morning training was over and his father would likely go back to tilling fields in the afternoon after he was done eating. But for now, he seemed content just sitting around doing nothing with the people he was enjoying getting to know again.

And he wonders if his father had stayed here, what would have happened? Eventually _someone_ would have noticed. Wouldn't they? And what about Vegeta? What would have become of that? What would have become of himself? How different would he be? His raged had consumed him from such a young age. He would feel lost without it. What would drive him?

"-ten, Goten. Goten!" He comes out of his thoughts and looks at Pan who is waving her hand in front of him trying to get his attention. "Finally. You were gone there for a second."

"What."

She points at Goku's phone, "Can you show him how to use the rest of the settings on here? I can't believe he's struggled with it for this long. Grandpa, you've had this for like, a year."

"I haven't been back a year."

"I know, but still, anyway, Goten, take it, I have to get ready."

"Ready for what? You can't pass this off on me- finish what you started."

"Well, I'm going to the beach, it's beautiful out. Marron and I are going to play high powered volley ball and work on our tans. So you and that purple idiot better not make the news or anything today, ok? I don't wanna get another midnight call to help deal with your sh-" She looks at her grandfather and hesitates, "your personal issues." She slides the phone towards him, stacks up the dozen plates, and carefully puts them in the sink trying not to break any, before walking out of the room.

Goku looks at him with his usual soft smile, "I haven't seen much of Trunks since I've gotten back. How's he doing?"

"Well, really well I guess. He's running Capsule Corp with Mr. Breifs' help. He loves it. Born leader." Goten looks down the hall to make sure his niece is out of earshot, "He's in love with Pan."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Probably going to get married... You should ask Gohan about it."

Goku gives his son a doubtful look, he's starting to figure out that his son likes to tell him to ask about things that get him in trouble. Sometimes with Chi Chi, but usually with Gohan. He's not sure how Gohan feels about Pan and Trunks, but now he had a suspicion it was nothing positive and he should not in fact ask about it.

"I would have thought Bra would be in the company too. She seems .... energetic."

"No, she's still in school, working on like her third degree, or whatever. Overachiever. Trunks might put her on the board now that she's 18, I guess." He picks up the phone intent on changing the subject, "...so what could you possibly need this for other than texting and calling?" he starts flipping through the it.

"I like the camera."

He goes straight to the messages, "What do you take pictures of?"

"I dunno, the mountains around Paozu. There's a lot of pretty things on Earth. I missed it. Sometimes I take pictures of the fields. To see if they're growing fast or slow."

_Gohan really doesn't give you enough credit._

"So you want to date mark them and stuff?" He squints at the phone and sees that nearly all of the messages are between Goku and himself asking about spar times and places, and the occasional, "wanna eat?" There are some between Goku and his other son too, and Chi Chi, usually asking if he'll be home for dinner, the occasional xoxo from her. "I think it does that automatically, you just have to..."

 He taps on it as soon as he sees it.

Hey. (four months ago)

hey

hey

hey

hey

whats up

hey

wanna spar?

hey

hey

r u there?

hey

I wanna talk 2 u

V?

Is this the right number? (One week ago)

 

Vegeta 0356 (two days ago)

Yes.

 

Goku 0356 (two days ago)

wanna spar?

 

They're stretched out over weeks, months and there are no responses back with one exception. He racks his brain trying to think about what the hell this meant on Vegeta's end, because it was extremely obvious what it meant on Goku's and he's surprised. He thought Vegeta would have jumped all over this opportunity. To try and correct the _misinformation._ But he's also sure he would have sensed it if they'd been near each other. They definitely hadn't. He tracked Vegeta's Ki like it was his job and found that he was locking himself in the GR 8 days a week, alone. He's pretty sure he was sleeping in there occasionally too. He smiles when he sees how recently the latest one is post marked. _I was starting to miss having a constant source of discord in my life._ Maybe it was time to pay him a visit. _Check on how he's been holding up without his boytoy._

"Yeah, if I could see the day and time that would be helpful. How do I-" Goku looks over Goten's shoulder to see what he's doing with the settings. His eyes widen when he realizes what he's looking at and he reaches for the phone but his son stands up and steps back.

"You sure text Vegeta a lot. After what he did to me."

He doesn't respond, he just reaches for it again and Goten presses one hand to Goku's chest while the other holds the phone behind his back, out of Goku's reach.

"Those are private!"

"Ah, ha, nothing's private these days. Don't you know anything about technology?" Goku struggles for a few moments trying to get it back, then gives up and leans back against the table, trying to work out a different tactic.

"Here." Goten hands it over to him without argument and Goku hastily accepts it.

Goku takes a moment to think about how he's going to justify himself, which he knows he shouldn't have to do because he hasn't done anything wrong, _have I?_ He meets his son's expectant glare, "Goten... I don't know what happened that caused you two to fight like that but... I know he's a good person deep down. He's my friend and I want to know what's wrong."

"A good Person? Your friend?" Goten can't resist laughing. "That's funny, because to me, it looks like he's not much of either of those things now."

Goku looks down sadly at his phone.

_Oh, Kami, it's worse than I thought isn't it? If I didn't know better I'd think you were hopelessly in love with that asshole. Look at you, texting him for permission to come see him instead of just showing up, unannounced, like you usually do around anyone else._

He notices that Goku is deleting all the messages now.

_Oh no... he is, isn't he? Ohh, dad. You had to go and let yourself do that and how? Doesn't that make this all so much worse. You won't be able to do a damn thing to stop me from stealin'-yo-man, (which I think I can do for real now that I know what kind of relationship this is) without completely exposing yourself. And you really can't afford to do that right now, can you? ...Why couldn't you have found yourself a nice guy to go fishing with on the weekends and leave the psychopathic megalomaniacs to me?_

He bites back a cruel smile, "Dad, I already told you what's wrong. Friend or... " _otherwise_ , "not, you've been gone for fifteen years. He's a different person now. The sooner you realize that, the better."

"He... seemed the same to me."

"No, he just looks the same." His father doesn't respond and Goten absently taps on the table to fill the stretching silence, "Look, I'm sorry I went through your phone. You can try to ground me later or something. But right now, I've got to go see Trunks. If Pan's day out with 'the girls' means what I think it means and they're in an off, then he and I have a date downtown with Tequila. So-" he salutes and walks out of the room leaving him with his thoughts.

Goku watches him leave with a frown. _How did he turn out to be such a jerk!?_ Goten's line of thinking is similar. _How did he get this far in life being such a damned push over?_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this was sort of tedious and frustrating to crank out. Not really sure how I feel about the progression of events here. It was almost satisfying, but their dynamic is still awkward to try and piece together. In the end it fulfills it's purpose in setting up the next chapter. Yay, happy fun bonding time with the Briefs!
> 
> I also... have a future chapter in mind, a little ways off, that potentially takes this fic down a much darker path. To such an extent, I feel a little uncomfortable writing it? I //think// it would produce the better final "justice" as some of you advocate for, but I'm wondering if //darker// appeals to ya'll? Or if there is desperate need of some lighter feels? Because honestly I'm just sittin' here like, 'yes Goten yes! Make it worse! So much worse! only THEN can we make it better.' But I'm also not trying to draw it out... aimlessly? Does it feel like that? or do you guys like the pace of the current downward spiral towards self destruction? humm... 
> 
> :| No one reads any of these before I post them. I'm sorry. I have no one to talk to about this fic except you, the readers.


	21. Hit Me, I'm Home

Goten thought he had been content and maybe he had been... for a little while. However things have changed. Now he was mistaking it for complacency. He's slowly losing his hold over the situation and he couldn't afford to lose out now.

Unfortunately Goku's dissatisfaction with the status quo meant everything was currently contingent on Vegeta and that was not an option. _If anyone is going to change the game, it's going to be me and it's going to be in my favor._ Although, he has decided this new information anything but a road block. In fact it was starting to look like a beautiful opportunity. It didn't hurt that he wanted to taunt Vegeta for old time sake. _All those fond memories, all those wonderful screaming matches we had in the GR when I was a teenager. All those torturous hours of 'tactical drills'... ah, Kami, I've been missing all the fun we used to have together. Haven't you, Vegeta?_

As he takes his time making his way to Capsule Corp., he slowly realizes he should have done this sooner. He had been planning on doing something... _eventually_ , but he admits to himself he'd been sitting on his hands the last few months waiting for something to happen when he should have been taking the initiative.  
   
Goten doesn't gives Trunks a heads up even though it's been... He's not sure how long, but he'd come over unannounced thousands of times in the past and he knows he'll be welcomed.  
He tries to fly slow to keep his ki low, but he can't stop his heart rate from spiking with excitement. He knows as soon as he touches down he has to find Trunks quickly or he'll be "escorted" off the premise one way or another before he's had a chance to get his way. The GR is in use which means he had about twenty five seconds to get to Trunks. _Damn, if the hum alone of that room still doesn't make me sweat!_ He hurries inside searching out the other half's ki like his life depended on it.

Goten finds him in the game room already a bottle deep playing something particularly violent. He knocks on the open doorframe and Trunks turns with watery eyes that light up as soon as they see the familiar face. Goten is knocked into the wall from the sudden embrace.

"'Ten!! I didn't even know- fu~ I'm a little.. a little-" He sways with a smile. "Sorry."

"Were you crying?"

"No." he rubs his sleeve across his face.

"What, this time it's for real?" He teases.

"No." Trunks scoffs and turns around to look for another controller. "I hope not."

Goten rolls his eyes and flops on the couch. He lets his ki spike back to a level above normal. _He'll come to me. I'm sure._ Although one look at Trunks and he starts to feel bad about putting him in the middle, worse for avoiding him. He can see how much Trunks needs this, a friend, as he plops down next to Goten with two bottles in hand. They clink drinks and try to relax  
for a few hours.

Goten helps his friend drink away the pain of heart break. He sits through the, at times, disgusting details and reassures him it's not the end of the world because they'll be back together next week anyway. Trunks eventually, after much convincing, nods in agreement and lets the subject go. By the time they are half way through the case, Goten almost forgets why he came here in the first place. Trunks has always had this way of distracting him from the darker parts of himself.  

As it edges in on evening Trunks, after a hesitant glance to his other half, gets up saying something about needing to take a piss and leaves the room. Goten seizes the moment he's been waiting for to carefully sense the ki he's been locked on since it left the GR an hour ago. It's near by but he can't quite pinpoint it. It went low and quiet as it entered the house, staying in the periphery of his senses. Then, suddenly there it is, bright as lightening right behind him. He braces the reason he came here.

_Hit me._

He can always count on Vegeta's temper to pull his plans together. He waits but the strike never comes. He's not expecting the sudden uncomfortable feeling of fingers running through his hair before they clench tightly around the shortened locks and snap his head back against the edge of the couch he's on, cracking the frame. Goten looks up, while sucking in a sound of pain, into dark livid eyes that hold nothing but ill-intent for him.

A low dark voice growls through bared teeth, "Get. Out. Of. My. House."

He bites his tongue to distract himself from the hand on his head and grins up at him.

"What the fuck are you smiling about?" He pulls on Goten's hair and lifts him up to threaten him more effectively since his first tactic was faltering.

"You aren't still mad, are you?" _No really, go ahead, hit me. Show him you don't care. Prove me right._

His grip tightens, knuckles white from the tension. Goten can hear Vegeta's teeth grit together, clicking with rage, "GET. OUT."

"But Trunks invi-"

"I don't CARE! what Trunks did. GET. OUT!" The veins in his neck pulse with each syllable.

He gulps down his doubt that he's a little too tipsy to keep his grip on the conversation and smiles wider, "Ooh, it couldn't have been that bad, could it? I seem to recall you enjoyed it." _Hit me, Vegeta. The harder the better. And don't worry, if he tries to come here in another pathetic attempt to kill you (or whatever that was last time), I'll find a way to defend you, talk him down from the ledge. I'll make sure he won't so much as touch you, Vegeta, because I am just so forgiving and I am not done with you yet._

"YOU VILE- I DID NOT-"

Goten turns back as much as he can with fingers still locked into his hair, sporting a disappointing look, "You did. Or do I have to remind you?" he can see the hate seething through his pores, and _Kami, if that wasn't satisfying in its own way, making him look like that_ , "about how hard you came when I-"

 _That is not fucking fair-! I thought you were- FUCK! How could I have mistaken-?_   "SHUT! UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" He raises his hand but never brings it down.

  
_MAKE ME!_ Goten's expression has a near maniacal edge to it. _Put your fucking hands on me. See what happens. Hit me!_

"and I have to ask, are you always so aggressi-?" Vegeta smacks his hand over Goten's mouth. It's hard, but it's not a mark-leaving strike. It's only enough to stop the words, the painful pathetic truth, from being spoken aloud. Vegeta's eyes search his face with angry confusion trying to figure out why the hell Goten was talking to him like this, like he was _trying_ to provoke him. He hated it! He wasn't going to fall for whatever fucked up ploy this was! Vegeta can feel Goten smiling beneath his fingers; smiling and... breathing... and wet... _what the he-?_   he lets out a noise of disgust as he pulls his hand away from Goten's open mouth and tongue.

His restraint is slipping, he wants to hit this nightmarish excuse for a Son so damn bad. He wants to hit him in the center of his shit eating grin. He clenches his fingers tightly to his palm and cocks it back, _FUCK! Kakarot! How do you still have a hold on me- I can't-! I can't even speak to you I'm so ash- and the way you'd look at me... if you knew- If I- AH! I hate you for making me feel- ! No, I hate him for using-! No, fuck! I hate ...myse-.  If I hit him now, I will not stop. I will kill him. And Kakarot... H _e would never forgive me...__

He can not bring himself to step over the threshold. He knows once crossed, he will not come back from it and _t_ _hat idiot would probably bring him back with those damn stupid dragon balls._ He cocks his head and briefly debates his options with furrowed brows, _maybe I could kill him twice or three times. Every time he's brought back._ He decides to do the next best thing and lifts him up further pulling Goten over the couch and begins dragging him across the room to physically remove him from his house.

"AH! Fu-! Not that I minded." He grits out through clenched teeth, "I like it rough." _Hit me, already!_ Vegeta stops and slowly turns back towards the body he's dragging, the body that is now struggling to keep smiling up at him. His grip strengthens and he lets out another deep murderous growl, he's so close to snapping.

"What's the matter Vegeta? This isn't getting you off?" Goten's voice strains under the discomfort,  "Why don't you try breaking my nose, like last time. I'm sure that'll help you get it up." He watches the full Saiyan's twist with rage and confusion. _FUCKING HIT ME!_

Vegeta drops him and Goten props himself up to face the ball of ki in Vegeta's hand aimed at his face. _Finally_. He tries not to brace too much. he has to ensure this _completely unprovoked strike_ will look and feel satisfyingly painful. _Especially for you, Vegeta. Once he see's what you've done, again, reaffirming everything I've said. And then you'll have no one. No one, except me. So, hit me, Vegeta. Give me exactly what I want. Make me hurt. Really. Fucking. Good._

They hear a door open and Trunks start walking down the hall. By the time Goten turns his attentions back to the full saiyan, he's gone and the room is empty besides him. _Fuck! I was SO CLOSE!_

He picks himself up before Trunks, who hesitates on the other side of the wall, walks back into the room.

Goten picks up another beer and thrusts it towards Trunks chest before sitting back on the couch with one of his own, "You took for-fucking-ever."

"Ha, yeah, sorry....It hit all at once I guess." his face turns more serious, "What were you... Was my dad just here?"

"No."

Trunks was past tipsy, he was very well aware of this. He'd had enough perhaps to shamelessly admit he was drunk. But his vision still worked and so did his ki. So as he watches Goten's hand shake ever so slightly lifting a bottle to his lips, he feels irritated being blatantly lied to by the person he'd just poured his heart out to a few hours earlier.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, that last level almost had me."

"So I guess you're cold then. On a hot summer night." He points to the glass shivering against his lips. Goten rolls his eyes, and takes a swig to calm all the adrenaline still coursing through him. He can feel Trunks' glare harden as he starts thumbing the controller again, restarting the game. Trunks disrupts his line of sight and stands in front of the TV and looks Goten dead in the eyes.

"What the fuck?"

"What?"

"GOTEN!" He puts his hands on his shoulders, "What the hell is wrong!?"

"Nothing's wrong, stupid-" He avoids Trunks' heavy expression and tries to roll his grip off without success.

"Why won't you just tell me!?" He shakes him a little out of frustration. "We used to tell each other everything. I still do." Goten opens his mouth to respond but can't find the words. Trunks sighs and lets go, "I've called and texted and asked, but you keep dodging and weaving, until I give up. I even asked Gohan and Pan. What help they were, fuck, I've tried to keep playing it down, because 'it couldn't have been that bad,' I told myself." His eyes search Goten's for a shred of an answer, "And here I am crying about Pan, looking fucking dumb because I thought you trusted me with your fucked up shit too."

"It's not like I asked for all those details about your relationship."

"It doesn't matter! We're friends! No- you are family to me, 'Ten! It's what we do! Support each other! Listen to each other!" he pauses with frustration. "You think I don't notice you've been avoiding my house? and me as a result?! Kami 'Ten! You MUST think I'm stupid and I can't imagine where you got such a deranged Idea! I run the most profitable company in the world at 25. Who the fuck do you think I am?! I might drink way more than I should but really? You think I don't see the simple shit? You think I didn't notice as soon as I leave the room he's in here 'talking' to you about whatever the hell is going on between you?"

His heart suddenly thuds in his chest with fear. "I- did you hear?"

"No, I was pissing a fucking river, but whatever it was, it wasn't friendly, 'Ten, I'm not an idiot! and... damn, I've been waiting for you to tell me on your own at this point, because, I get it, you're really shut in sometimes, angsty, emo whatever- I know you can't deal with all your shit the same way I do, but come on! ... Come on, 'Ten. Talk to me." He tone keeps shifting from worried to irritated, crystal clear to slurring emotions.  
  
Trunks pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through it until he finds what he's looking for and turns it showing Goten a picture he recognizes immediately. _Bitch! She sent that to him?! ...Of course she did._ He sees it wasn't post marked recently, but not the day he sent it to her either. He thinks the date was somewhere around the weekend he used the dampener.

He doesn't have time to read the surrounding messages before the phone is pulled away and it suddenly occurs to him that Trunks had been the only one who hadn't seen the damage first hand. He's not surprised he badgered Bra for information; peeling him off the floor of an apartment in West city after weeks of sparse communication must have been... _worrying..._ It was hard to look at the image, harder now to look at Trunks, so he diverts his gaze to the screen behind him, then to the window, then to... _anywhere else._

"This is not normal. If-" Trunks stares at the picture, "If you knew how angry I was at my father when I saw this- We didn't speak for weeks! I had NO idea it was this bad! I'm so used to feeling your kis clash and spike all the time... I didn't think- but this? it looks like he tried to fucking kill you! What is going on!?" Goten feels a sweat start breaking out on the back of his neck.

"I- There's nothing 'going on' I'm here, aren't I?"

Trunks' face scrunches up in anger, "Kami, 'Ten I hate when you just... lie to my face like this." He looks out the window at the gravity chamber which has been turned back on, "You know he hasn't left that stupid room in weeks except to eat? even that is rare" _and it's getting worse._ "but suddenly as soon as you're here, he comes out of the damn woodwork to say fuck knows what to you. So, sure, 'Ten, you can try, TRY to lie to me and say everything's fine. But I know you better than that. I know my father better than that." He waits for him to answer but silence hangs between them. Trunks finishes his drink and looks back at the picture before shaking his head and blacking out the screen.

  
"It wasn't ok... you're right, it wasn't. We got into... a really bad fight. But it's ok now... it's been months." He can't think of anything better to say, none of his usual tactics seem effective now that they're face to face.

"No, you dumbass, it's not OK. It wasn't then, it isn't now. We've already established this. Just.... fuckin' tell me what happened. I know my dad's not... especially stable or... nice but he's never done something like that. I've tried so hard to get it out of him but he's worse than you are. All he would say was that he lost his temper and now he just locks himself up and doesn't-! Fuck! Lost his temper?! Are you serious? What does that even mean? 'Ten?"

"Exactly what you think it means! He just fucking lost it!"

"So that's it then? He had some ptsd flash back or some shit and... snapped?" His words drip with doubtful attitude.

"I fuckin' guess so, I don't know what goes on inside his head."

"What the hell could have triggered something like that? He's never-"

"Oh, gee Trunks! I wonder what in the world could have changed since then! Could it fucking be that my idiot father came back?" _Damn it! Why are you making this so difficult!? I didn't want to have to lie to you-_ "When he felt it- I don't know! We were just sparring and he-"

His eyes widen and his expression drops. "Oh... shit..."

Goten looks at his friend with a mystified expression, "You didn't put that together? Really? That it happened the day my dad came back?" _Such a lucky coincidence for me._

He shifts from irritation to concern, "If... it's about your dad then why... why did he come up here? I don't... understand."

"I don't understand either, Trunks. I don't know why he's so fucking crazy-"

"He's not crazy! He's my dad and there's clearly something wrong! And you must know some-"

 _Uuhg, between you and my father, your concern for him is nauseating; he's Saiyan, he's fine_. "No, I really don't! He doesn't exactly talk to me about his deeply disturbing psychological issues."

"Well, he didn't hit you this time! He obviously said something!"

 _Yes, my plan failed, rub it in why don't you_. "He just- what do you think he said!? He yelled at me to get out and I told him to fuck off."

"You- you told him to fuck off?! You told someone who, as far as I'm concerned, actively harbors an intent to harm you for unknown reasons, or something to do with Goku, to 'fuck off'?!"

"Well, yeah, Trunks! I wanted to stay here! I'm not going to be scared off just because he thinks-"

He shakes his head and turns hazy hurt eyes to the dark haired demi. "Goten. Why... why did you come over here at all?"

"What do you mean? I came here for you. You're my best friend. You were having a shitty day."

"It's not like you knew that before hand. You didn't even tell me you were coming over... The last time I saw you was like two months ago for ten minutes when I came over to pick up Pan... Fuck, you barely respond to my texts at all lately and now I'm starting to think you came here looking for a fight with him!"

"Why would I look for a fight after what he did?"

"I don't fuckin' know, 'Ten! Revenge? You're always at each others throats for some bullshit or another. Call it training, call it anger management; to me it just looks like both of you get off on how much you hate each other or your dad or whatever and it is really _really_ fucked up."

Goten's mouth drops open slightly with surprise. He thinks maybe that's not... the most inaccurate way to describe his complicated feelings for Vegeta at the moment.

"And it's only gotten worse since he's been back, hasn't it? I'm so- I'm so fucking confused now, Is this about your dad? What... what is going on?! ...why did you come over tonight?"

"You, I came here to hang out with you. It's been-"

He swallows and twists his brow, "I... I don't believe you... All night. All fucking night you've been looking over your shoulder, half paying attention to me. You barely talk to me at all and then out of the blue decide, today's the day. What, have you been training more? Think you're going to beat him this time or something?"

"No, no, I'm not-"

"If you really wanted to hang out with _me_ , then why didn't you call _me_. Why didn't you invite me over to Gohan's or out some place? You haven't seen me in months. You have barely talked to me. Giving me shit answers. Fuck! 'Ten! So that's it?! You came back tonight looking for revenge? Using me as a shield just in case? Thinking I'd team up with you?! Against him?! 'Ten!?"

Goten watches as he gets heated. He watches as the alcohol takes over and he slurs and his arms make agitated gestures. He watches as Trunks takes a familiar stance at just the right distance. He knows exactly what's going to come but a part of him doesn't believe it.

"No, that's not- Trunks, calm-"

"Fuck you! Fuck you so much 'Ten! Using me like this! What he did was terrible! Yeah! I get it! I'm angry about it too! But what the hell have you become, huh? Are you that consumed with anger? And hate that you'd risk it again? AND to top it off, you'd just throw our friendship away? and for what? To finally fucking win? We're brothers! We were fucking' brothers 'Ten!" He winds his fist back and the dark haired half's face breaks into a condescending doubtful smile, _he is not going to do it._ "I used to love fighting with you! But this!? This hurts!" He throws his fist into Goten's eye socket. It knocks the younger back a few steps and he's surprised it hurts as much as it does.

Goten is in such a state of disbelief he can't suppress the shock of laughter that exits from him. He comes back to reality quick enough to catch the next punch. And the next one. And the next one. They aren't hard. They aren't powerful. But each one hurts more than the last. They hurt incredibly so despite the lack of effort, the lack of malice. They hurt in a place he can't reach and with each one, the only bond he held sacred, the one that could not be broken was beginning to crack. 

"You're right." He closes his fingers around the fist.

The older half stops with salt water in the corner of his eyes refusing to fall. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Trunks, for looking for a fight, instead of... paying attention to you" he admits softly, "you know me so... fuckin' well." he finally stops smiling, "I'm always looking for a fight but not... not this one."

He lets his hand drop out of Goten's loose hold, "Why? Why are you trying to start something with him right now?"  

 _Oh, Trunks, there's not enough alcohol in the world to help you cope with the truth_. "I... I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I'm sorry I've been a shitty friend. I-"

Trunks snorts weakly, "Whatever, 'Ten. Don't tell me anything. I'm too drunk for this anyway. Just... promise me you're not... gonna put yourself in danger here? You grew up here. This is my house. It was your house. I..." He collapses on to the couch turns the game back on.

"No," the younger lies with a small reassuring smile, "Of course not." Trunks looks warily at him through the new rift that has formed between them as Goten picks up a controller and joins him on the couch.

"We could always go somewhere else."

"But, Trunks..." he throws his legs up on top of the purple saiyan's and grins at him, "There's no where I'd rather be. You're right, this is my home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Yes hit him, Vegeta! He deserves it! No, wait! Don't? he's going to use it against you... :(" - audience, probably. Ah, I'm a terrible author to you guys, making that sweet sweet retribution so much harder to enjoy. At least someone got to hit him, though. 
> 
> But I digress, this chapter was incredibly difficult. Had a lot of issues with Trunks, not completely satisfied with him, but who ever is with their alcoholic friends? Mostly because there were A LOT of things that I left implied through his dialogue and actions and I'm hoping they came through clear enough. d: If anything was really confusing, let me know.


	22. Daddy Issues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 22 chapters because the first chapter was recently split in two for timeline clarity reasons.

This is the eighth time he's called her this week and it's getting annoying. Her brother keeps whining and bitching about the Gravity Chamber codes, something about the auto-shutdown being overridden. She hates when he gets like this, _worried_ , because it has this way of rubbing off on her. She huffs and puffs but eventually gives in and returns to Capsule Corp because Trunks finally lets it slip that their father has apparently been locked in that torture chamber for the last three days and even she knows something's wrong with that.

Her brother claims Vegeta used to do this sometimes when they were younger, but she can't remember, so as far as she was concerned this was an unprecedented and unacceptable level of self destruction. _She_ was supposed to be the void of chaos in their family, not him. Her father had crossed that bridge a long time ago, or at least... he claimed as much.

She wonders if he's having flashbacks, or if something triggered him into some kind of episode. She knew how much he hated being surprised, how difficult it could be for him to communicate about normal things, let alone traumatic things. _Being a child soldier for the creature who wiped out our race would fuck you up like that_. And maybe it was because no matter how much trouble she'd gotten herself into over the years he'd always been there to help get her out or maybe it was because she knew she was his favorite, but... she didn't want to lose him too.

So the two of them sit at the desk, hunched over the keyboards together, looking between several screens trying piece together what they had from their mother's old notes and whatever the fuck those symbols were that Vegeta had written in the margins in order to  fix the machine only he knew how to maintain now. 

By the time the clock hits four am they've tried a few hundred different variations of codes with no luck. She looks at the largest of the screens mounted on this massive machine lodged into the recesses of the lab. Her eyes trace the red and black washed figure of her father laying on the ground, un-moving. His ki was still strong albeit wavering and not as bright as usual. He was alive but not well and it was only a matter of time before he started cooking alive in there. 

She kicks back from the desk in frustration, "This is impossible, T! He sabotaged it from the inside! We should just blast it open! Why is everything in that stupid thing internal! We can't get to what we need without getting inside."

"There are NO safeties in place, Bra! It won't just shut off! The explosion would be catastrophic. Even under low gravity, blasting it while the machine is running like this would be a mistake."

"Ahhh, well it's going to melt down eventually! Why would he do this?! _How_ did he do this!? I don't understand! These safety protocols should NOT have been able to be over ridden!"

"I don't know! I don't knoow and it's getting worse" Trunks presses his exhausted face into his hands.

"What do you mean it's getting worse?" She narrows her eyes at him.

"I mean, it's getting worse! He keeps staying there for longer and longer, he barely eats, he barely sleeps and when he does I don't even think I want to call it that because I'm pretty sure he's just passing out from exhaustion and waking up to do it all again."

"What? I thought it was just this week! How long has this been going on?"

"I don't- like four or five months?"

"What?! MONTHS?! Oh my god!! Trunks-! How could you not tell me!!? I can't believe you-!"

"Well, it didn't seem abnormal at first! He does this shit all the time! It's only been in the last couple weeks that it's... gotten really bad. Like, I-had-to-pull-him-out-of-there-twice-before-he-blew-the-thing-up bad. And now... this." He motions to the monitor. _The last couple of weeks..._ his thoughts bounce around in his head and he tries to think of what has changed since- _It's gotten worse... since Goten's been coming over..._

"God, Trunks! This is- I can't believe you haven't told me for so lon-...wait,  wait... this started around the time... Goku came back?" 

"I-" he pauses, chewing his lip in thought, and looks at his sister, "Yeah, actually.... now that I think about it." _...and his fight with... Ten, what the hell did you do? Everything is tying back to you._

She presses her pouting lips together and arches her brow, "I didn't realize their rivalry was so... serious." 

Her brother holds his thoughts and agrees, "You're telling me. This is... it's fucking suicide, what he's doing."

Then something strikes her. He had been here. Goku had been here. He'd been in the Gravity Chamber. Goten was kind enough to give her that information before yelling about who knows what and hanging up without even saying goodbye, _ruuuude._ And she decides what she really needs right now is a break from failure. She glances over at her brother's haggard tired face, "Trunks... We'll never get anything done if we don't sleep. Why don't we take shifts for a bit, hm?"

"No, we can't stop, we're clo-"

"We're not close. He's going to be in there for a while, probably longer if we fuck all this shit up because we're sleep deprived. I'll take the first shift. You, go to bed. You've been here since yesterday. If I make any break through, I'll wake you up."

He hesitantly agrees with her and heads up stairs, but not without stopping in the kitchen to grab a bottle of 120 proof liquid sleep.

As soon as the door to the lab closes she starts an agonizing search through the settings until she finds the archives.

"Oh good, it saves video." She scrolls through the list, going through thousands of lines to get a few weeks back. It takes a while to get to the time frame she's looking for but she's impressed and excited to see that this machine has so much memory.

She clicks through a few different ones, not exactly sure which day it had been, but eventually stumbles on _the one._

She watches her father exit and re-enter several times through out the day, the cameras keep cutting out every time he leaves, so she has to be careful to watch the time and date in the corner. Finally she thinks she's found what she's looking for and fast forwards through a few tedious hours of drills. She sees her father suddenly begin fidgeting with the controls followed very closely by the door to the room being blown open against the back of the GR. It does not blow up. _Uhg, l_ _ook how easy that was. S_ _tupid over-ridden protocols._ She pauses it, rewinds a few seconds and plays it back normally.

She watches a glowing super saiyan... _Goku?_ walk in. She pauses the footage for a few moments, staring at the familiar figure, and decides it must be Goku because this was the same day Goten sent the picture and his hair had been cut by then.

She watches the inevitable fight break out. Her father is bleeding but Goku remains... untouched. It becomes clear to her that the obviously stronger of the two is refusing to hit back. Then, they're just arguing. She's not sure what to make of that since on the very rare occasions her father chose to spoke about 'Kakarot' it was usually about his inevitable demise by his hands. 

Her brows bend and twist with questions and she _so wishes_ this had audio because suddenly they're not arguing, they're talking and she's dying to know what the two Saiyans could possibly be reminiscing over until-

"What the he-" She's not sure what she just saw so she rewinds, watches it again, stops, rewinds again, watches it again, stops, rewinds again, then pauses. 

"What. The. Fuck."

She thinks she's having a brain aneurysm from the shock. All of the overworked cogs in her head stop turning and there is not a chance anything from here on out will be processed logically. She stares at the screen open mouthed, unable to make a sound thinking, maybe she should have taken the first sleep shift, because she MUST be dreaming; there is absolutely no way this could be real, even less way that it was the reason her father is bleeding all over the floor of the GR concussed right now and Goten- _Oh, you little-! You kneewww, didn't you!?_ _Probably why he beat the living shit out of you, isn't it?!_ She smirks at that. It disappears when she thinks about how this would affect Trunks.

She knows he glorifies their parent's relationship to some extent. He was sappy like that _and probably still insecure about being an accident_. Though, to be honest, she had never questioned her father's love and loyalty either. Until now. If there was even a chance what ever this was had been going on while their mother was alive, Trunks would be devastated, probably furious with Vegeta. Top that off with his own relationship drama, the stresses of his usual twelve hour work day that he would have to resume at some point this week, and how many bottles of liquor there were in the freezer last time she opened it, she decides not to say a word on the not-so-off chance that her brother will react... _badly_. 

While normally she enjoyed being the harbinger of chaos, she can't bring herself to upend the current flow at Capsule Corp. It's already barely functional with Goten and Vegeta hating each other and themselves and everything around them and then there was her with her own issues costing the company a fortune whenever she decided to have fun. If Trunks wasn't able to hold it together, who would? And then where would she be? The company's success was vital to her lifestyle, and thus, so was Trunks'. So she whips out her phone and takes a picture of the screen just in case she needs the leverage and sets to work on clearing and deleting the archives, because who knows what else was there from years past.

 _Maybe Trunks' unfortunate cases of feels are justified though._ She looks back at the screen where he is lying on the ground motionless. _How can I be mad at him?_ _P_ _oor papa_ , _he probably hasn't been laid in like 15 years and then he gets rejected! I'd wanna die too!_ Besides, she thinks, her mother is passed now. What's happened has happened. She highly doubts she would have been in the dark anyway _if_ this had been going on before. She was a genius after all. Though, that raises the question, _how long had what ever.... this... was been going on?_ And _what... exactly was this?_ She has a feeling she knows someone with the answers she's looking for, possibly two and if she was going to get angry and bring down the house on someone, it was going to be those two idiots, not her father.

Goku may not have been the stronger one anymore, but there are other ways to cause pain. Pain that revealed itself as Vegeta locking himself in his torture chamber, pain that kept her up until 5 in the morning when she would much rather be back on campus, sleeping, or in her own lab working on something interesting instead of impossible. She has already gathered, from their initial meeting, that Goku liked to play the I'm-just-a-big-dumb-idiot card and as cute as he might be, she did not like that. It made him deceptively trustworthy because while she agreed with everyone that he might not be the sharpest crayon in the box, he was definitely smarter than he let on. She thinks Goku _must_ know what he's doing, he _must_ know what's going on because, she feels her father's ki waver slightly, _n_ _o one is that stupid._

She refocuses and begins working on the codes again. However she has decided, as much as he might pretend to despise her, the younger, hotter _(that new haircut really did wonders, ponytails are NOT in right now)_ of the two idiots really needed to give her some answers. Sleep be damned! She was going to figure out what the fuck was going on so her father can get over himself and stop trying to use the Gravity room to kill himself. _I don't exactly have oodles of time to waste coding this archaic piece of equipment every time he decides to have a breakdown! I have other things to do! Like fuck with you, 'ten-ten. _So every few minutes, after she runs a new failing line, she picks up her phone and calls him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooohhh my lord, bra was difficult to write here. I really hope I've been able to keep her consistent! I agonized over that. I kept trying to find room for the fun crazy but this was not a very 'fun crazy' chapter. I've really committed to writing Trunks as a crazy dampener as it turns out. Not to mention there was a debate with almost every line on how much she really is affected and cares about well, //everything// uuhg I'm sorry it took so long.
> 
> This wasn't even supposed to be Bra's chapter when I first wrote it (Although it did have the same title name). It was originally written with Goten showing up, not bra, to interrupt his panicked coding and he ultimately showed the footage to Trunks. I wrote that whole bit, second Trunks meltdown included, got ready to post and then was like, nope, not gonna do that, in fact ima write this out of the realm of possibilities.


	23. Missed Calls, Missed Years

Goten wakes up at god knows what hour to a phone call. Or five. He looks at who it is, silences it and goes back to sleep, _whatever it is, the bitch can wait._

  
When he wakes again, it is with his alarm. He sees his phone now has over almost a fifty missed calls all from the same person. He smiles at her persistence but doesn't have time to call her back before heading out to spar with his father. Too bad too because it ended up being a miserable spar. The worst to date. Through the whole thing Goku was missing hits, not blocking, not even looking at Goten half the time and his son has to call it a day about twenty minutes in because at this rate he was going to seriously unintentionally injure his father.

 _He never trains like this. He's never sloppy. He's never unfocused._ And yet he's been like this for days, today more than ever and Goten has the aching feeling he knows exactly what- or rather who- is the cause of it.

Everything has been off for days, weeks... _since I've been going over to capsule corp_ and he's having a lot of trouble understanding what the hell is going on between Vegeta and his father now. Every time he thinks he has their _relationship? that's probably a strong word for it,_ figured out, one of them does something that forces him to completely reworks his theory.

Goten was so sure Vegeta would jump on the chance to hit him again. He was so sure he could use that to drive a wedge in between them that would force Goku to let go of those annoying and honestly sickening feelings. He could use it to make Vegeta give up on his obsession of having power, or dominance _or whatever_ over his father. His father was weak now. Goten could hit back, and he could win. Vegeta needed to see that he could have something so much better with no strings attached. But _that short tempered asshole has decided to disappear from the world in his own stupid Vegeta way- Train to death- Which is getting really irritating! Vegeta, how am I supposed to get under your skin, under your sheets, if I can't get near you?!_

  
He's starting to think he's been approaching this situation all wrong. He's been trying to maneuver Vegeta, who is impossibly stubborn, when instead... he had a far more malleable gullible piece of the puzzle in front of him.

So, despite their mutual disappointment in this morning's spar, Goten insists they do something other than return home, intent on finding out what is going on inside his father's head and Goku happily interprets that as an open invitation to find something to eat.  


It is only half past seven and he finds himself laying on a shaded bank and lazily watching his father who is wearing a pair of dark sweatpants rolled up to the knees. Goku was not very happy about having to wear them, but he didn't have much of a choice. The comfy clothes he had adopted off planet were getting worn and Goten had nonchalantly informed him a month ago that he had burned his gi. When questioned why, his son only replied, 'Ask Vegeta.'

It was a risky thing to say, he knew it, but Goten felt fairly confident that one, his father wouldn't ask, two, Vegeta wouldn't tell him, and three, those two words would bother the shit out of him. He was right on all counts and after a long quiet pause under his father's half irked half suspicious stare, Goten couldn't resist following up with a few athletic store recommendations, giving him his usual shit eating grin, and walking away. It left Goku hesitant to replace the bright orange gi until he figured out exactly why it was burned in the first place.

Despite the daily decrease of Goku's confidence in Goten's trustworthiness, his son still had this way of poking and prodding at the truths he did know. Always enough to keep him from doubting too much. Although, more than the half truths and outright lies, he also noticed Goten found easily the words that he himself silently struggled with. That bothered him more than anything else; hearing the doubts, worries, concerns, the fears he tried so hard to push down be shoved back in his face lined by a familiar caustic smirk.

It was all very confusing and Goku was even more at a loss with deciphering Goten than he was with Vegeta who had taken _years_ of patience and countless arguments to understand and, truthfully, was still a work in progress. _But at least V never burned my things! ...right? What kind of answer is that? 'Ask Vegeta?' You're the one who burned it! What does this have to do with him?_

For now, it is out of sight and out of mind. Goku is poised with bent knees in soft dark clothes. He has one foot in front of the other and stands completely still in the shallow waters swishing by him. His arm is raised, angled, ready to dive into the cool crisp river as soon as his prey is close enough. It hardly resembles any hunting Goten has ever seen and although he can't see his father's expression he's sure his eyes are closed.

Goten smiles each time he dips his hand in the water disturbing it the moment he senses any animals get close. It turns out this is a good exercise for him too. The kis are so small, it takes some effort on his part to separate them from the two enormous Saiyan kis trying to drown them out. By the fourth time he can see his father shake his head slightly, agitated that his prey keeps swimming away just as he is ready to strike.

After finally plunging his hand in to the water and coming back with nothing he whips around glaring at his son, "Do you want to eat?" Goten gives his father an innocent look and nods."Then stop! Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Doing what?"

"Trying to... to mess everything up!"

Goten has a feeling he's not talking about the fish, which was fine, because he didn't want to talk about fish either, "It wasn't me who was messing up this morning." He says casually.

"Goten, I-" he pauses and frowns at his son wondering now, more than ever, just what Vegeta meant about him being 'capable.' Capable of what? He was a skilled fighter, yes, but there was something else lurking there that he couldn't quite figure out and it was starting to set him on edge lately, especially when Goten seemed to be in a good mood like he was today, especially when he kept continually doing things like this, however small or harmless they seemed. It was becoming that much harder to ignore the aching suspicion that Vegeta was closer to telling the truth, just not the whole truth. Something in Goten's story just didn't add up. He _lived_ at capsule corp after all. Who would _live_ with someone they hated so much? with someone who 'attacked' them? Something must have _happened_ to cause the fight, or how ever many there had been.

"What?"

"I don't know. I just thought this would be easier." He sends a narrow blast of ki into the water and they both watch as a coi, nearly as big as either of them, bubbles up to the surface partially charred.

"What? Catching fish?"

 _No, coming home._ Goku steps out of the river dragging the unfortunate creature chosen for breakfast behind him, sits down in the grass and makes quick work of gutting it. "Catching fish isn't hard except when you make it more difficult than it needs to be."

Goten smiles, "Where's the fun in doing things the easy way?" His father doesn't take the bait to lighten the atmosphere and settles into silence. When they are done devouring what could have been a better tasting breakfast Goku assumes a meditative position to try and focus on anything other than the ki painfully ebbing in the forefront of his mind. Goten, however, thinks it is more than likely he will simply fall asleep and decides there's no time like the present to ruin his day.

"You really sucked today. This whole week, actually. What... what's bothering you? "

Goku shoots a disapproving look at his son but doesn't say anything, having long since given up trying to correct the way he talks to him. He takes a long time to think about his one word, _one name_ answer. _He already knows about us, doesn't he?_ He feels embarrassment creep up remembering the text messages.  _He definitely knows._ Something about that doesn't sit right with him. However, he also thinks, despite Vegeta and Goten's apparent issues with each other, if anyone could understand, if anyone could help him sort through this, it would be his son who was far more confident and comfortable with the more 'Saiyan' traits they had in common. Although that confidence had a tendency to grate on his nerves when it resulted in messages from strangers telling him he was the cuter twin.  _We are NOT twins! Ahg! Goten! Stop giving out my number! I don't care if the coffee shop guy seemed nice- No, it's not that I disagree- No, Goten, it's not about the hair color either- No! I already- Ah!_

Ultimately, while Goten is getting impatient with his father's drawn out 'thinking' over something he already knew the answer to, Goku decides honesty is the best policy and they both move to push the conversation along.

"I know about you and-"     "Vegeta-"    They talk over each other and halt.

Goku can't stop the questions he had been ignoring so he could focus on repairing the things that were supposed to matter most, from resurfacing. Most prominently, because he knows Vegeta would never say something about it, _would he?_ "How did you find out?"

After a moment of debate Goten decides to take a retrospective approach with his answer, "It was kind of... obvious.... I used to train with him almost every day and I- if you heard the way he talked about you-" Goten notices a tiny smile tugging at the corner of father's mouth."It wasn't nice. Ever. If that's what you're thinking." Goku's face flushes, that had been exactly what he was thinking, or at least, hoping. "He never said anything nice about you if you could get him to say anything at all... it was pretty much limited to 'third class' this, 'idiot' that, 'real Saiyans don't run away' this, 'you need to train harder to beat me, if you want to be the one that gets to kill him' that.... He was obsessed with hating you, proving to everyone how much he hated you." Goten snorts, y _ou know dad, the sad part here is, I'm not lying,_ "I just knew. I don't know how to explain it. There was just something about the way he kept saying he was going to 'bathe in your blood' if you ever came back that really set off my gaydar." _and I really, really should have figured it out sooner._

"Your what? He doesn't... he doesn't hate me, that's just... how Vegeta is..." His face breaks into a sad smile. _He hasn't changed at all._

"Dad, this... 'arrangement' you had with him, or whatever you seem to think it was, I honestly don't know much about it, and please let's keep it that way because I really don't want to know about whatever weird fucked up shit he's gotten you to believe is 'saiyan' custom." _Though if Vegeta wanted to show me himself..._ "What I do know, however, is that how you feel about him and how he feels about you are two _very_ different things."

"It's- it's the same. Vegeta's- He just shows it differently-"

"No... It's not. Look, I brought this up... because it worries me. You worry me. A lot. Especially lately... Dad, you just got back and you're already getting distant and... I missed having you around.... I don't want to lose you again, but I guarantee I will if you see him. I guarantee that what ever he did, or said, to make you run away the first time, he will do it again. I don't want that to happen." He looks sadly at his father, _this is getting easier..._

"He didn't... make me run away, I didn't-"

"Dad, please, he is poisonous, toxic. He's a toxin. He's dangerous and he's using you for... I don't know-  but, contrary to what he always told me, you are actually really REALLY nice. Too nice, maybe... Like he always said you were soft and weak, but- dad you are impossibly forgiving and you don't deserve this... what he's done, what he's clearly still doing to you. There are plenty of other...." he looks at the bones beside them and smiles, "fish in the sea... who don't want to tear out and eat your intestines while soaking in the entrails of victory that is domination over you when they're having a bad day."

"You're making that one up, he never said that."

"Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a LITTLE, but-"

"Goten... I don't... I know I've been gone and things have changed, but Vegeta's not like that. He says those things but he doesn't mea-"

"Wait- Has he said those things to you? to your face?! He calls you a 'worthless third class idiot' to your face?" His father's expression tells him all he needs to know, "Oh, kami! I thought I was doing you a favor telling you this... I didn't think you knew how much he hated you. I thought maybe it was since you left that he'd become this obsessed with hurting you. But it's been like this the whole time? And... and you still slept with him?"

"He didn't..."

Goten stares at him with a half smile of disbelief while his father turns his gaze to the intermittent rippling in the water. Goku is cautious to reveal the things he felt were private. It wasn't like that. _Vegeta's not- When he-_ More so, he wanted to keep hidden just how little he knew about the inner workings of a relationship he's had for _so_ long.

Goten had a point, of course. There had always been doubt. There had always been arguments, questions, things he wanted but never got, conditions, rules, breaking points. It had been rough, sometimes violent... but... They were Saiyans. They did it like Saiyans. It was just complicated and he didn't know how to put what it was in words; the things he felt, the reasons why, the deeper nature of the only other full Saiyan that he couldn't stand but always understood. He didn't know how to explain how he knew it wasn't like that without telling Goten things he didn't want to tell him. _But he's got Vegeta all wrong... Unless-_

And while his father has an internal crisis regarding the nature of his relationship with Vegeta as told by Goten, his son sat there trying to figure out how he could make it any more obvious to this dense, naive man, that he should stay the fuck away from Vegeta. Goten didn't even have to make anything up! That was the worst part! Vegeta was an absolutely miserable human being to him behind his back! and to his face? Who would want that!? . _..wait... Oh kami, it really must run in out blood._

"Kami, dad, what has he done to you? You know, I think this is worse than him lying to you. I thought he would have told you all sorts of nice things that nice guys like you what to hear." _Not that he really did that when I slept with him, or that I've ever heard him say a nice thing ever, I guess I should have figured,_ "But this? I'm really worried about you now."

"He didn't do anything. That's not why I'm-"

"Sure, sure he didn't." he rolls his eyes, "Next you're going to tell me he had rules that only applied to you or something, like that the lower cla-"

That hits a tender nerve and he snaps back before he can think, "They didn't only apply to me-!" He immediately reels with regret over what he'd just admitted to someone who should not have heard it

Goten drops his mouth dumbfound at his father who looks mortified. "He had- You-" _I mean, sure... he SAID he always fucked you but... kami I really didn't think it was like THAT_ , " You know, I'm starting to understand why you thought running away might have been the best thing for you. This is so much worse than I thought! He's got you completely wrapped up in this sick fucked up little game of hi-"

"Wh- No- he's- it wasn't like that! You don't know! I don't want to talk with you about Vegeta anymore! You are just assuming things and- and stop saying I ran away!"

"What? of all- You absolutely ran away" He says with a quirk in his lip.

"I didn't! I always planned to come back, it was only supposed to be a few-"

"Who cares how long you intended to be gone? You left. No one cares if it's for a day, a week a year, or fifteen. You left. You. Ran. Away. It hurt every time you left. The amount of time was just insult to injury."

"I-..." he trails off into silence.

Goten takes advantage of the natural pause to check his phone. He casually looks over at it and taps through the screen and scrolls through the- _oh my god, how many times did she call me?_ He flips over to the messages. They ranged from four in the morning until three minutes ago. He opens the most recent one that has a picture attached to it. His heart thumps out of his chest with fear when he realizes what he's looking at. _How the fuck did she- No. No, no, no, NO, NO. NO! NO!!! Anyone but her. ANYONE BUT HER! SHE COULDN'T HAVE FOUND- NOT HER! WHAT THE F-_   He turns his head sharply back toward his father who is still haphazardly working through his thoughts, recovering from the one very real truth his son had just delivered. Goten shoots up trying his damnedest not to have a panic attack but his fingers are already racing through his shortened hair as he shoves the phone in his pocket.

"I have to go!"

"What?"

"Right now, I just need to go! I'm sorry! I'll talk to you later I'm-" He doesn't finish his sentence before he is in the air a mile away.

Goku supposes that's sort of lucky because that was the worst conversation he's ever had with someone and he'd had a lot of conversations with Vegeta that resulted in punches. _Vegeta._ He wanted- no needed to talk to him. Alone. He wanted- no needed answers and- _Oh good. He's still in the gravity room._ He taps his index and middle to his forehead and focuses on the other troubling ki that was causing him so much strife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhg, everyone is so close to figuring it out. Trunks, Bra, Goku. They're all asking the right questions the right way. Sooo close. The ending of this chapter bugs me, opens up a lot of awkward moments next chapter. I'm still trying to work through those so it might be a minute before it's up.
> 
> The alternate and deleted dialogue for this chapter is PAGES long, oh my lord, this was by far the most challenging character interaction so far. These father/son conversations are getting worse and worse and worse every time.


	24. Cry, Kiss, and Make Up

The first thing he notices is the sweltering heat. The air is thick and hazy, the red lighting making it feel even hotter. There are error messages all over the screens on the central control panels which have been torn apart from underneath and Goku nearly collapses to the floor from the pressure.

His chest almost collapses from the sight. He had _never_ seen Vegeta's reputation for self punishment go this far.

He'd been half expecting to be pinned to the wall and fucked through it. He'd been half expecting to be punched in the face and told to fuck off. And despite those being exactly the things Goten told him weren't what Goku thought they were, he surely would have let either happen for any semblance of reassurance it would have given him that Vegeta hadn't changed. He was prepared for the inevitable fight, fuck, argument it would take to get him out here or _whatever he wants at this point!_ But this? He was not prepared for this.

Vegeta was crumpled in on himself, thinner than usual, paler than usual, laying in a heap on the ground, unconscious. And it finally occurs to him that waiting for Vegeta to break like he usually did might have been a mistake; that maybe he's done nothing but make mistakes since he returned because he can't seem to get anything right and he doesn't understand why everything was suddenly so much more complicated. _It was already bad enough before I left!_ He kneels, presses his hand to Vegeta's shoulder and focuses on the nearest Ki.

\---

  
She's almost got it. She has given up on ruining Goten's day for the time being in order to devote all of her attention to finally turn her father's luck. She has run another successful line and is about to call her brother to wake him up and tell him to get his ass down to the labs, but before she dials she notices something on the screen.

"What the-" She squints at the new figure who has just appeared in the gravity room. "How did h-" and then she is screaming, scrambling against the desk, knocking papers and a keyboard on to the floor because he is standing right behind her, kneeling on the floor, next to her very unwell father.

"WHAT THE HELL!? WHAT?! HOW DID YOU- OH MY GOD! OH MY-" He has about three seconds to give her a reason not to fire the ki pooling in her hand.

"Bra- Bra, calm- it's ok, I can- Help me-" He gestures to Vegeta and picks him up. She supposes that's good enough for now and let's the crackling light dissipate.

"Fuck, ok- I-" her eyes don't leave him as she feels for the keyboard and puts it back up on the desk, "I think we have a makeshift med-bay somewhere around here-" She motions for him to follow her and starts down the maze of hallways. She keeps turning a suspicious glare back to Goku as she leads him away from the main lab and disappears into a room that Vegeta hadn't been to in a long time. It was a bit dusty now, but it would work. She clears the bed off for Goku to set him down and begins rooting through drawers for gauze and bandages.  
He watches her frantic motions, "Do you have any Senzu beans or-?"

"No!" she snaps, "This is a house of science! We do not grow _magic beans!_ " she pauses her search and turns to face him, "So, maybe, if you know where some are then you should make yourself useful and go get them!" She didn't expect him to take her up on her suggestion. She expected some kind of response, an excuse as to why he didn't have any, something along those lines. Instead he looked around rather sheepishly, did something stupid looking with his hand and disappeared. Right before her eyes, he was gone as quickly as he came. She blinked and then looked at the bed to make sure she hadn't imagined everything, but her father was still lying there on the bed, with his ragged breathing, looking absolutely miserable.

"What.... the fuck..." _he better come back, because boy, do I have questions now._ She eventually finds enough material to begin wrapping the worst of the lacerations. She scrambles through the rest of the supplies to at least get the basics underway before running upstairs to get Trunks. She nearly knocks over the flimsy stand she was struggling to hang an IV bag from when Goku suddenly reappears.

The look she shoots him for the interruption strongly encourages him to take a few steps back, so he does. She ignores him and tries to finish what she's doing until Goku abruptly reaches his hand to hers and halts her.

It takes all over her self restraint to not tear his head off right then and there and she wonders if Goku showing up to pull him out of the chamber was just some sick attempt to try and play hero only to run around and do something worse when no one was looking. _You are not getting that chance._

"What. Is it." She hisses through her teeth.

"That's a n- it's a needle? He doesn't- Why would he need that?"

"It's for an IV you idiot! He'd probably dehydrated!"

"... He doesn't-"

"Goku, I swear on the dragon balls themselves, if you don't remove your hand from my wrist right fucking now, there will never be enough wishes to undo what I will do to you."

"I brought a Senzu bea-" He lets go and holds out his other hand. She snatches the tiny green bean from it.

"Fantastic!" She drops the needle and abandons her amateur attempts to play doctor. "Now start explaining."

He shifts awkwardly for a moment waiting for her to do something with the bean and regrets letting her take it from him. "Explain what? Shouldn't you-"

"Not yet!" she shoves a hand against his chest to push him back from the bed, "While he's still knocked out YOU are going to EXPLAIN! What are you doing here!? How come you didn't get him out sooner!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"I- I-" he lets her back him into a table. "I - didn't know- I didn't know he was-"

"My brother and I have been working for damn near DAYS trying to shut that stupid thing off. Ah! I knew there was an easy way out, there always is... GOKU!"

To say she frightened him would be an understatement. This was much different than her first impression and he now understood completely why Goten described her the way he did. _Maybe... he's not lying about everything._

"Why are you here? Why did you teleport to him at all? Hm? Why suddenly so interested in my father?"

His panicked mind reaches for the most readily available answer it can come up with that wouldn't give him and Vegeta away, "I... I wanted to- to spar with him."

"You wanted to... what?!"

"Spar."

Her whole head moves rolls along with her cold blue eyes. _Wonderful. He's an idiot and a liar. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree._ "A spar. You came over to spar with him. Without any kind of warning or anything. You just appeared out of thin air while my father was unconscious to spar. Do I have that right?" She backs off and gives him a little room to reconsider the lunacy of his answer. The silence hangs in the air. "Well?"

"I-" He nervously reaches back to rub his neck. He's not sure how to explain what he came here for. He was just responding to Vegeta's obvious distress like he has a thousand times before. Responding to his own, looking for reasons to prove his son wrong. _Why is she making it seem like a bad thing I pulled him out of there?_ "I- I don't know... I used to... show up sometimes... we used to train together all the time... I didn't know he'd be...." He has trouble keeping her unceasing gaze as his voice drops off into a mumble then in to silence. His hand twitches and she takes a step forward to keep him in arms distance in case he tries to disappear on her again.

"Well, you sure picked a convenient moment to show up, waiting until he's trained himself half to death to dig up your old rivalry. He's so fucked up, even you could finish the job, couldn't you?"

"Wait what?! No! It's not- I'm not- Bra! Why would I- I don't want to- I-I just- I wanted to-" He tries to keep himself from saying something he shouldn't. The echos of his earlier conversation are still rolling around his head and he feels like everything is being torn apart in front of him. _And she still hasn't given V the Senzu yet! What is wrong with her?! Why would she think I would-_

"Oh, Goku, I don't know WHAT you want to do. But I do know that I don't like the way you lie to me or the way you just teleport into my house like you own the place to harass my father!"

"It's called instant transmission." He mutters as his eyes keep flicking away towards the bed and there is nothing about his body language reassuring her.  

"Oh. My god." She inhales and tries to keep her mouth and nose from twisting with irritation, "You might have everyone else fooled, but I see right fucking through you. You are not here for 'sparring' or whatever it is that you do for 15 years when no one is looking, so please, one more try, tell me, why the fuck are you here? Or I promise you're never stepping foot in this compound again. Instant transwhatever or otherwise."

"I-" that got his attention, and given her unusual inventions he didn't doubt her ability to make it possible. _How does this keep getting worse?_! "His ki, it... it's been off for days. I was worried and I... I just wanted to talk to him. I don't know- I just-" He admits quietly. He doesn't know why but it makes him feel guilty. Maybe he should have come sooner, maybe he shouldn't have come at all... _Why is this so hard?_

"You were worried. _You_ were worried? What, worried he might kill himself before you had a chance to try and do it yourself? Hm? Worried you weren't causing him enough pain? I promise, you've already done enough-"  

He looks at her sternly, suddenly ten miles closer to losing his temper. "NO! I would never do that! I would never do anything like that! I-"

"Fuck you, I don't know you! I help you and your dumb son one time and suddenly you think that gives you free access to my house?! To my family?" She waves her hands and he reaches for the one with the bean in it. He has her nearly pushed up against a wall in his attempt. He's towering over her and he knows he's stronger than her. She's the weakest of their kids, he can feel it, he could easily overpower her if he needed to, but a fight with her is the LAST thing he wanted and she wasnt intimidated. He was quickly running out of options. She glares up at him and holds the Senzu behind her back, just low enough for him to not want to reach for it and _Oh kami, I hope Vegeta doesn't wake up right now!_

"What the hell are you trying to do here? Trying to scare me? Trying to hit him where it hurts?"

"No- He needs-"

"He needs this, huh?! Is this even a real fucking Senzu?! I didn't see where you go it!"

"Of course it's REAL! Why would I-"

"What the hell do you want? Why are you here?! What game are you playing at Goku?! I will not let you stomp around here in MY HOUSE trying to goad him into some stupid fight when he's fucked up like th-"

He doesn't want to be badgered about this by his son, and certainly not by Vegeta's daughter; by the products of _other_ relationships that made _this one_ so darn impossible! His feet begin to take faltering steps backward. His breathing is heavy, getting heavier; his chest feels tight, feeling tighter with every cruel accusation she's throwing at him. There is something in the back of his throat that he can't swallow down and how much everything has changed is hitting him full force, _It was just supposed to be a little while! Why is everyone so- I never should have left, I never should have left, I never should have left, I never should have-_

"I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN! HE WASN'T- I didn't- I-" _Kami! I thought he would tell me, I thought he would come to me and then I saw him in there... and he looked- I should have let him kiss me that day- but Goten! He said- and I'm- AH! I'M SORRY! V, I'M SORRY!_ "I- I just want to TALK to him!!! AaaaAAAAHHHhh-" he grips his hair and shuts his eyes, hot tears already streaming down his face. He sinks to the floor as it all comes pouring out of him. "I just want..." _him._

Bra says nothing. She only looks at him curiously. _He is either really good or really terrible at lying._ She pulls his face into her fingers and tilts it up so his eyes are forced to meet hers. She stares long and hard at his watery expression and decides... it's sincere. Which makes this a little more difficult to figure out. He had been her prime suspect. Now, she's not so sure what to make of him and she wants to keep her cards close to the chest until she's spoken to Goten.

She rocks his head this way and that while she debates her opinions of him. He tries to pull his face from her grip but her nails dig in ever so slightly and squeeze his cheeks. He could break her grip but he doesn't, too overwhelmed by his own confusing emotions to respond much to hers.

She decides this is not the behavior of someone intending harm. In fact, it was almost... cute, in a desperate pathetic sort of way, him getting all worked up into hysterics. _That's supposed to be my job. I guess you are worried about my papa._ She wonders if maybe he didn't really know why he was here. He certianly didnt seem to understand his feelings on the matter... Well, if he did he didn't want to tell her about it and she decides she won't force him, for now. Maybe he and her father did have some things they needed to talk about.

"Stop crying. It's gross."

"Ysh." he struggles to utter between compressed features. She let's him go and gives him an inquisitive look. He was certainly odd.

He sucks in a shaky breath and thinks Goten definitely wasn't lying about Bra. There is a lot wrong with her. But she's right, this is getting him nowhere.

Now that they have both stopped yelling, arguing, crying she finally hears the quiet tone coming from her back pocket. She smirks at Goku, pulls out her phone. They look down at the screen between them and see the number calling her marked as, 'Ten-Ten <3 <3 <3'    

Goku's eyes widen and his face pales. He grabs the phone from her and presses on it a few times with rushed uncoordinated taps.

"Wha-! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She shrieks. "Don't touch my things!" She rips it back from his fingers and sees the call has been canceled. "What the HELL?!"

"I- don't want him to know I'm here right now."

Bra cocks her head, "He can probably sense you if he wants to. He's better at it than I am, you know. So you might want to make yourself scarce pretty soon. He's probably on his way."

"He's coming here? Why would you-" His hand finds the back of his neck and rubs with more pressure than usual. "I don't think he shouldn't come here."

"Why not?"

He looks quickly at Vegeta and stutters but no words come out. It begins to click inside Bra's head what's going on here. Her hands find her hips and she smiles darkly at him, "Goku. Has 'Ten been playing games with you? What has he been telling you?" _Oh, I knew he was involved._

He doesn't answer and her phone starts ringing again. "Ok, well, we'll have to continue this fun little chat later." She purses her lips. "How will he react when he sees you?" She gestures to her father.

He shrugs. "Annoyed? He might punch me in the face."

She smirks, "Hm. No catastrophic meltdowns, are you sure?" He shrugs again. "Look, I have to wake up Trunks and finish shutting down the gravity chamber. Otherwise, boom! There goes Capsule Corp! and no one wants that. You need to be gone by the time I reach his room." She holds her hand out and offers him the senzu bean. "I can keep Goten away from here as long as you leave quickly. Otherwise, I have the aching feeling he will show up whether you and I want him to or not." She shakes her open palm at him, "Well? Do you want to kiss and make up or what?"

His cheeks flushed at her suggestion,  _does she know? Goten and V said no one else knew..._ _What a strange girl._ He doesn't really understand why she's suddenly so helpful and he doesn't want to trust her but at the same time, it's the only chance he has so he takes it. She walks swiftly towards the door, phone in hand but before she exits gives him a final two cents,

"Oh, Goku... if you try anything stupid? I will be here faster than you can disappear and send you to a worse place than hell." He doesn't know if it's a joke or not, but he smiles at her anyway with a twist of confusion at what could be worse than hell.

She takes her time on her way up to Trunk's room. The chamber probably wouldn't really explode. Not unless it was blown open. Although it might give Trunks a heart attack when he sees the energy bill this month. So she pauses in the hallway and pulls out her phone which had been buzzing off the hook in her pocket for the last few minutes and answers it, "Well, well, well if it isn't the devil himself-" she giggles.

At first there's just wind then, "BRA, OH THAN- WE NEED TO TALK RIGHT FUCKIN' NO-"

"Ew, 'ten, you classes jerk. Why are you yelling at me? You know I won't talk to you if you're mean to me." _Awfully angry... about someone else finding out... aren't you..._

"AHH, ahh Kami! Bra- SHIT! I almost hit a fucking plane! Don't do ANYTHING! We need to talk- I'm coming over-"

"Hmm, I'm hungry, meet me somewhere else, Ok?"

"What? where?! I'm already half way! F-"

"Don't care. I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday and that is NOT good for my metabolism. I'll let you pick the place. I still need to clean up before I get out of here, uhg, I look like a disaster."

"What the fuck? No, we're not talking about this in pub-"

"Oooh yes, 'Ten, you bet your temperamental ass we are. You've got another thing coming if you think you're running over here yelling and crying about whatever the fuck you're so riled up about." _Already dealt with one of those today,_ and with that she hangs up.

 

  
\----------

 

  
"Fuck!" He pauses mid flight and considers how much worse Bra will be to deal with if he heads for Capsule Corp anyway. He decides he doesn't want to find out and heads towards the first place he can think of open at 8am on a weekday that he nor the other halves have been kicked out of. Apparently, not all restaurants liked being eaten out of stock; not that he had an appetite at the moment.

 

\-----------

  
  
Goku waits until he feels Bra leave the labs before looking over Vegeta's ragged appearance. He sighs sadly before taking the senzu and pressing it into his slightly open mouth. It takes a moment before his body's natural responses begin to take over but sure enough the bruises soften, the cuts and burns fade. Goku let's go of a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and places his hand on the side of Vegeta's face as his eyes begin to flutter open.

The grip that finds Goku's wrist is excruciating and unforgiving. His hand is wrenched away and he is suddenly face to face with wrath incarnate.

"You didn't dare-" The words are a deadly whisper.

"What? No, I didn't-"

Vegeta stares at him and throws his arm away from his grasp. He looks around briefly, confused and angry. The first thing he forces himself to do is feel out the kis in the building. He visibly relaxes when he confirms the absence of one in particular.

"Vegeta..." The older saiyan's attention is turned back to the younger who still has tear streaks on his face.

His expression softens at the sight and as soon as Goku sees the smallest trace of anger begin to dissipate he leans into him and wraps his arms around him forcing Vegeta back onto the bed. "Unh, V, I-" his throat is tight with emotion, "Why do you do this? Why do you keep doing this?"

They're laying uncomfortably but together in the tiny make shift hospital bed, while Goku runs his nose and cheeks along Vegeta's neck before pressing his mouth to his face. He doesn't care where, he just know he has to feel him against him. It doesn't last long before he feels himself being pushed away.

"Kakarot. Kakarot, stop, what are you doing? Where ar-"

He tries fruitlessly to pull Vegeta back against him, "I didn't- V, please don't do that again. I thought you would- I didn't- I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

He sits up as the hazy memories of tearing up the Gravity chamber are starting to come back to him, and everything else, too.

"Stop apologizing, idiot. It's not your fault." He gruffs while turning away from Goku's mouth.

"What?"

"I said it's not your fault. It was never your fault... What are you doing here? Bra and Trunks are here, you can't-" he is silenced by a sloppy kiss as Goku pulls him back down.

"I know, I know I can't stay-" He whispers quickly, "But I need to talk to you, I have to-"

"Ok." He stares at the emotional wreck shifting all over him with furrowed brows trying to figure out if he's dreaming or not, because this isn't what he expected to wake up to. "Kakarot, Ok!" he finally manages to push him up and off of him so they're both sitting up. It's not that it wasn't nice, but he was STARVING, very disoriented by the sudden barrage of Kakarot's unwarranted affection, and still not quite sure where he was although he thinks he's in the labs somewhere. He needed a moment to figure out what the fuck was going on, "Tonight... I'll come find you. Just, leave me be for a minute."

Relief washes over Goku's face and he nods while pressing their mouths together one last time before Vegeta can stop him, this time with tongue, and disappears. Vegeta rolls his eyes and scowls. _Great. Now I'm hungry AND hard._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you're wondering, Bra's lab is a place worse than hell. 
> 
> So much internal debate on who should reach her first. In the end, I really got a kick out of Goku and Bra interacting and decided on him, plus timing. Lots of experimental dialogue here, sort of playing around with neither wanting to divulge what they know but still trying to get the information they want.... blind leading the blind.... to success? we'll see.
> 
> Sorry this took so long! D: The ending was tricky to handle :\ I felt like everyone got a little ooc? hopefully not too much.


	25. Threat

By the time she's off the phone Goku is gone and her father is moving away from the labs with, as far as she could tell, a normal ki signature. _At least that weirdo can listen to instruction._ That alleviated a great deal of stress on her end because, while she never made an empty threat, she wasn't exactly prepared to keep someone with those types of abilities knocked out and locked up somewhere for an extended period of time. That required _resources_ and _time_ that she just didn't have right now.  
  
  
On the fifty seventh knock, Trunks finally answers through the door. His voice is muddled and fuzzy at first but wakes right up when she tells him ( _part of_ ) what happened. Hardly ten seconds later he's hurriedly dressed and in front of her bombarding her with questions.  
  
"No- Trunks, he's not here anymore, he just disappeared! which seems to be his only talent at the moment."  
  
"What the- he left?! You let him leave!? Where did he go?!"  
  
"Well it's not like I expected him to! He just disappeared! To who the fuck knows where! and ANYWHO why didn't you tell me he could do that? We could have had dad out of there days ago."  
  
"I don't know. I... I hardly ever saw him do it, I haven't- I was so... I was so stressed about the whole thing-"  
  
"Whatever, I get it. You're sad little human feelings took over and you forgot the mysterious Goku's creepy fucking abilities, great. Well, lucky for us he has perfect timing. While we're at it is there anything else weird he can do that I should know about?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"For your sake I hope not."  
  
He shakes his head and ignores her, "So... what? he just showed up, got dad out then left?"  
  
"Yeah, pretty much."  
  
"Why? How did he know?"  
  
"No idea, he was super weird about the whole thing."  
  
"Weird how?"  
  
"I don't know! Just weird."  
  
Trunks sighs, "well, is dad Ok? Where is he?"  
  
"Goku had one of those magic bean things on him. Awfully convenient if you ask me. So yeah, he's awake, probably wandering around trying to figure out what to do with his life since he can't train to death."  
  
"Alright, I guess... I'll talk to him or... something. Fuck. Fuck! I can't, we have to finish working on the chamber, don't we? Or are you about to knock out?"  
  
"Yeah, no... about that. So, I have a date.... Which means you have to finish on your own. But don't worry I was aaalllmost done, probably just a few hours left of code and you'll be able to shut it down."  
  
"Wh- are you serious?! a fuckin' date?! it's like eight in the morning! on a weekday! Cancel it! I'm pretty sure this is more important!"  
  
"Yeah, no" she flips her hair, "I'm pretty sure it's not. I need to get ready because he's not going to wait up. Besides, dad is out of the imminent peril until his next breakdown, maybe you can ask him what all those squiggles in the margins of mom's notes are and finish in like thirty minutes."  
  
"I have a fucking company to run! I need your help! B, what the fuck!"  
  
"You're the boss, take a day off! Probably wouldn't kill you!" She turns away and begins to walk down the hall.  
  
He groans and rubs a palm against one of his eyes in frustration, "I've already had to take- uhhg, why do you have to make everything so difficult when you come home-"  
  
"Mee? I didn't lock myself in the hell chamber. Take up your complaints with him." she says disappearing around a corner. He really couldn't blame her, she had a full schedule after all. She had things to do, people to see, idiots to interrogate, - _Maybe I can make BOTH of them cry today!_  
  
Trunks grumbles something about how maybe she should be locked in the hell chamber as he winds his way through the compound searching out his father's ki. He stops at the kitchen and lets out a long exhale as he looks at his father who is quickly making his way through the mountain of food in front of him. "...Feeling better?"  
  
Vegeta doesn't look up, doesn't acknowledge him, and keeps eating which his son safely assumes is an answer in the affirmative. Trunks leans against the door frame and looks around the room, "The gravity room is still locked and running."  
  
Vegeta still doesn't say anything and Trunks' hung over mind comes up with a few choice words for his aloof deeply troubled father, "I could use your help... shutting it down. It'll be up to you to get it running again though.... if that's even possible." he mutters the last part under his breath.  
  
Vegeta nods without showing any signs of stopping his meal.  
  
"Like... now. Unless you don't mind half the building getting blown up."  
  
Vegeta grimaces at his son as much as he can with stuffed cheeks and swallows. "Where is your sister, why isn't she helping you?"  
  
"Apparently, her DATE is more IMPORTANT than CAPSULE CORP!" He says turning back towards the compound, loud enough to try and get within her hearing range.  
  
A distant muffled "SHUT UP, TRUNKS, YOU'RE STUPID." Echos back and Trunks shrugs at his father. "I don't know what her deal is." _Or yours. Or Goten's for that matter, it's like you're all losing your fucking minds lately._ "She says she got pretty close to disabling it though before... I guess... Kakarot? Goku? whatever his name is, Goten's dad showed up..." He barely resists the temptation to pressure him with questions. The resulting argument, his father cursing in some alien language, storming off somewhere he could handle. Working on the machine alone, however when he had other obligations, not so much. So he bites his tongue. It could wait, couldn't it?  
  
_Ff- She saw that crying idiot?_ Vegeta's eye twitches because he knows that probably wasn't a good thing, even he was somewhat aware of his daughter's unsettling reputation, and now he's wondering if Kakarot had been crying before or after he walked into the labs. _That buffoon has the emotional depth of soup spoon and based on past experience it takes more than pulling me out of that damn thing to upset him. So what the fuck-_

His head swims with questions and confusion about the whole situation and he regrets damaging the machine so badly because he just wants to forget all this fucked up shit and punch something until his knuckles were raw. He doesn't want to think about anything but here he was letting it all coming back in waves to torment him.  _Goddamn it Kakarot, I was in there for a fucking reason!_ He was still far from ready to face that idiot and... Goten- _GOTEN._  
  
He struggles to stay focused on his murderous rage as it quickly gives way to nausea. Goten's words flash through his mind along with deeply frustrating emotions he doesn't have the energy or willpower to process. He has to stop eating and will his food to stay down while his mind attempts to purge the thoughts.  
  
"... Dad, are you OK?"  
  
He comes back to reality, not realizing he'd buried his face between his hands, his fingers gripping at the roots of his hair. His vision is drawn to the cracks in the table where his elbows had been resting. He looks up with a distorted version of his usual scowl,  
  
"I'm fine." He presses his hands to the table and stands up with a grunt. He picks up several plates and walks past him, "let's go, I don't want to be there all day."  
  
Trunks sighs dejectedly and follows behind food encumbered father to the labs. _Why does everyone lie to me...?_

  
  
\--------------------

  
An hour later she's put the last of her mascara on and double checks her figure in a full length mirror to ensure that she is date material. _Uhg, not that he'll even appreciate my effort._ She follows Goten's slightly flared ki to a noodle shop in a less than reputable area of town. She frowns having hoped he would have picked a better place than this dump and finds him sitting at a more secluded table in the empty shop with an empty bowl next to him and a cold half eaten bowl in front of him tapping his chopsticks nervously.  
  
He turns as she enters and watches her take a seat across from him. His expression drops with annoyance and disbelief as soon as he sees what she is wearing. _Does her delusional mind think this is some kind of date? Why does she always-_  
  
She signals to the only waiter for five bowls of whatever Goten's eating and he dashes off with a smile. "We might just keep this place in business another week."  
  
"Give me. Your phone." He grounds out the words between his teeth and extends his hand towards her.

She chuckles devilishly, "I don't think so. Besides, what would you do? Smash it to pieces? It's not like everything on there isn't already backed up somewhere you can't get to."

His eyes snap towards the empty restaurant, but he thinks better of being reckless for now. He settles for glaring at her while digging one of the plastic chopsticks into the table until it cracks and falls apart between his fingers. She watches with a smirk, grabs a set off another table and hands it to him.

He snatches them from her, "What the fuck do you think you're going to do with it? Blackmail my father for sexual favors, you fucking deviant?"

"Ooh, I hadn't thought about it. Thanks for the idea."

His nose crinkles in disgust, "I don't think you'd have much success."

"Oh no? Why's that? He more interested in a certain Prince Charming?"

 _Yes, extremely interested._ "No. Bra, because he's fucking married."

"Like that ever matters." she clicks her tongue, "Look, Goten, for once I'm not your enemy. Why are you so hostile? I can help you! We can work together on this because clearly you are too incompetent to handle it on your own."

"I'm not incompetent! And help me what?" _She wouldn't- would she?_

"Oh my god, getting them together! Duh!"

"What?! You think I _want_ them to- What is wrong with you!? No! NO! That is exactly what I'm trying avoid!"

"I-" _And here I was naively thinking if anyone wouldn't care about our dads fucking, it would have been you._ Now she wasn't quite sure what she'd stumbled across. _He's trying... to keep them... apart?_ That explained Goku's outburst a little better... _A lot better_. "You are?"

"YES! Why aren't you?! What the fuck?"

"I don't..." _Do you not know what my father's been doing to himself?_ She masks her questions and shrugs casually, "Because our family's drama is the only thing that gives me any joy when I come home. It's not like my father has anything to lose. I think it'd be cute. Enemies turned lovers." She smiles flirtatiously at Goten.

"Tch! You're a fucking psycho. And did you not watch the whole footage? My father's not interested. He pushed Vegeta away." _Though, I'm pretty sure, especially after this morning, he wouldn't have if I hadn't been there busted to all hell. Kami, does he have any self respect?_

 _Hm. About that...._ "I guess you're right. It won't work if it's one sided."

"I can't believe you'd- uhg, just tell me what you're planning to do so I can stop you before your start."

"What am _I_ going to do? I only just found out! I don't know shit about what's going on. I think the real question is what have  _you_ been doing? What kind of trouble have you been causing for them?" She smirks at him. _and... why?_

"What trouble have I- it's your father who thinks he can walk in and fuck up everythi- "

"OOk, Ok, you- I'm going to stop you right there. One, that was months ago and two I'm pretty sure he hasn't left the compound in weeks. So, where you're getting the deeply misled idea that my father is the one mucking everything up is beyond me. If anything it's Goku. I mean, he shows up after who knows how long and all the sudden it's chaos. Fights between you and my father, fights between him and my father, random make out sessions all over the gravity room, not to mention other egregious crimes like THEFT. I'm not going to forget that by the way."

"They did not 'make out' all over the gravity room."

"Superfluous details, 'ten! My point is, it's not just about my father."

 _Of course she'd take his side no matter what._ He throws the chopsticks down on the table and pushes away the bowl. "Whatever, I haven't been _doing_ anything." _Unfortunately._

"Anything? At all? Oh sure, of course." she clicks her tongue, "That explains why you rushed off here so quick looking so, hmph, grumpy." she mocks his expression with her head in her hand and pouting lips. "Because you haven't done anything. Must also be why you two stopped training together, why you haven't been to capsule corp in months, why my dear old dad locked himself in the gravity chamber for the last four days and tore the thing apart. Because you and your dumb dad haven't done anything."

"Bra, those things are- Wait, he what?"  

"Oh, you didn't know? Yeah 800 gravity, it was 133 degrees in there. All the safety overrides completely fucked over..." She watches his eyes widen and debates whether or not to take his shocked expression at face value, "What, Trunks didn't fill you in? How are you more out of the loop than I am?" _How could you not know? How could no one seem to know why this happened?_

"It's... it's not like I live there anymore."

"Fair. But still, you really didn't know?"

"I mean I knew he was... in there more" _a lot more, especially... lately,_ "but- I thought it was his usual... brooding." His brow folds down, _That's...what the hell Vegeta? This is severe even for you._

"No. definitly not." She studies him closely trying to get a read on whether or not he's telling the truth. "Definitly. Not."  her nails click on the table as she thinks about how to draw a littlemore out of him. "Strange that you didn't know... Goku seemed to know."

"What?" He cocks his head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means? It means he's the only reason my father isn't still cooking alive in that overheated hell hole."

"My father was there?! When?! WHEN?!" _I was SO- NO! How could I have not noticed?!_

"I mean... I don't know exactly what time I was a little preoccupied working on shutting the gravity chamber down..."

"TODAY?! HE WAS THERE TODAY?!" he was nearly standing up and out of his seat.

"Uhg, 'Ten, we're in public, keep your voice down." _Ok, check that off, at least you two aren't coordinating something with each other. And whatever it is you think you're doing, 'Ten, is having... unintended consequences... bookmark that for later._

"The place is fucking EMPTY." He can nearly feel the steam rushing out of his ears from his boiling blood as he settles back into his chair, "so tell me WHAT! HAPPENED!"

"Mm. Ok, I'll give you information if you give me some."

"I don't-!"  he barely resists slamming his hands down on the table. He manages instead to curl them into tight shaking fists and set them down without a sound. "What more could I know? ... I only saw what you saw, Bra, I-" His voice is low and has an edge to it she's never had the pleasure of hearing.

"Ooh, no, don't even try that game with me. You have had MONTHS to sit on this and I'm sure if you spend even a tenth as much time catching up as you do training, then you two talk have talked about this," she waves her phone at him briefly. "And so you're going to tell me what's going on or you're going to have a very bad day. So, spill! What's the fucking deal? What the fuck is going on between them?"

He grumbles then hesitates at her assumptions, "I'm pretty sure there's nothing going on between them if that's what you mean." _I have made SURE of that._

She snorts, _what a weak attempt, try harder._ "Nothing going on? You're forgetting I saw not only the video footage, but also Goku, who doesn't seem like the type to show up out of the blue and cry all over my floor for 'nothing.''"

"He what?!" Goten's jaw tightens and his fingers run through his hair, _fuck! I drove that dumb ass right to him! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn your stupid phone calls, Bra!_ "Well, I'd bet anything it was you that made him cry. Probably tried to fuck him or something-"

"I did no such thing." She says with an offended tilt of her head.

"Fucking liar. And even if there was anything, which there wasn't, your dad's a psychopath and mine's an idiot, I'd hardly call that a recipe for a healthy relationship. Maybe he was crying over some fucked up shit we don't know about."

"Hm. You really think so?" _Someone is cynical..._

"Yes! N- I don't know! There isn't anything going on between them. There's your information. So- just- What the hell was he doing there this morning?!"

She scoffs at him and rolls her eyes, _you lie, I lie._ "If you must know, he was hardly in the compound for five minutes and remains as mysterious as ever. He just showed up suddenly withmy unconscious father in his arms. I asked him politely why he was in my house, he broke down, then left."

"They didn't talk? or fight, or-"

She wonders why he's so desperate to find out and leans in with a smirk deciding against giving him more inflammatory information. "Nope. Nothing. Showed up, cried and left. So tell me, 'Ten, how's your parents' relationship?"

"What?! It's- fuck off Bra! Not a chance!"

"Oh, come on, they're the last two Saiyans-"

"It would ruin everything!"

"Ruin ev-? Oh, so you have been up to something."

"Wh-! that's not what I meant!"

"Does he at least know you know? I'm going to find out 'Ten, whether you tell me or I figure it out for myself, but it'll be less painful for you if you're honest with me." _your poor father found that out the hard way._

"Yes." He grits out.

"Ok, so you HAVE talked about it."

"Yes... Sort of."

"Wonderful, and I imagine you gave him all kinds of amazing advice since you're the loveless sex expert and you know all about 'healthy' relationships, am I right?"

"I- Fuck you! What is there not to get about this? Your dad made some awkward pass at him when they fought and mine asked me about it because he thinks I'm the local expert on all things gay."

"Well, he's not wrong. And?"

"AND I told him to stay away from Vegeta! He's married! Has a wife and family! He has no idea what the fuck's going on! and obviously has OTHER ENGAGEMENTS." _Why will she not let this GO?! It's not going to HAPPEN!_

"Really. Family. I'm supposed to believe that you, Goten, the guy who HATES his family, lectured his estranged father on the importance of _family_?"

He lest out a frustrated growl, "YES. I DON- I don't _hate_ them."

"Trunks is more of a brother to you than Gohan ever was."

 _Uuhg don't remind me._ "N- yes, ok, it doesn't matter- look. Whatever you think you saw, whatever you think is going on between them? It's not, and it shouldn't. He just got back, everything is just starting to finally come back together, this- it would tear my family apart-"

She snorts, "Like it isn't torn apart already?"

She had only been trying to keep the mood light. Teasing him as she always did. She didn't realize how sensitive he was about this. Why would she? He usually cowered around her. She failed to remember that was not because he was afraid of  _her._ So when his arm whips across the table clearing it of everything, shattering the two bowls against the wall, she can't help but startle.

He grips her forearm and pulls her forward, "Listen, bitch," he points a glowing palm at her face and leans in, taking full advantage of her mistake in letting him choose the place, "if you fuck with them or encourage it in any way, I will end you. I will end you and all your little games. Stay out of this, stay away from my father and stay away from my _family_."

His tendency towards unceasing eye contact usually didn't get to her, she found those dark eyes quite enamoring most days, but intimidation was rolling off him in waves and he was _far_ better at it than his father. She remains still, her smile gone and glances toward the other empty tables. She is pretty sure he's bluffing. But this was an unwise place to make that bet.

He smirks because he can smell a sudden shift in emotion on her. It hardly lasts a moment, but he catches it all the same. _She's afraid_. She's never been afraid of him before, _but papa isn't here to protect you now is he?  Oh how the tide has turned, you annoying little siren._ The ki in his hand is almost close enough to burn the edges of her hair and gives him a good look at how much make up she puts on to hide those sharp Saiyan features of hers.  

His confident, threatening demeanor doesn't break until five bowls, precariously balanced on the slim waiter's arms are set down between them. He let's the light flicker out, and sits back still staring at her but with less immediate intention.

She had so many more questions and no more leverage. She thought the picture would be more than enough, but he had just made it abundantly there was more to this than he was letting on. Well, whatever he had on her didn't matter. There was nothing she could do about it right now. What mattered was figuring out how to get out of here all limbs intact. He was clearly not in a negotiating mood anymore and she had just bought this dress. She was not about to engage in a fight she'd certainly lose, just to ruin it.

Goten watches her come to terms with the situation as he reaches for one of her bowls. He wonders if she's going to bother protesting. She doesn't. She stays silent as he drinks it all down in one swift go despite it being far too hot. He licks his lips and sets the empty bowl to the side before picking up the next one and doing the same.

 _What a spiteful-_ She forces herself to twist her anger into a smile as she lets him take a third one.

"I hope there's rat poison in it."

He finishes the fourth, sneers and stands up. "Did I make myself clear or do I need to repeat myself?"

"Clear as fucking day." She meets his eyes.

"Good. I'm glad we finally agree on something." he walks towards the door but stops just before exiting, "This was fun." he looks at a small clock hanging crookedly on the wall, "We'll have to do this again." He cocks his head with a peculiar unnerving smile, it was something about the way his canines gleamed. He cracks the sidewalk when he takes off and she notices he didn't pay. _Asshole!_

She stews over the one full bowl he left in front of her and thinks about everything he just told her. She knows he's responsible, intentionally or otherwise and he would pay. B _ut why? Family? Really?_ He expected her to believe that? He seemed intent on convincing her there was nothing- never had been something- never could be something...  And yet kept insisting their fathers stay away from each other... She sips on the soup which has finally cooled.

And he just had to know what everyone was doing; on top of all of this was the most disturbing peice of the puzzle. She had NEVER seen him act like that, he had NEVER threatened her like that before, sure the place was empty and he probably did it because he knew he could get away with it, _but he acted almost like he was-_

The thought makes her choke on her noodles. She makes a loud snort sound on the inhale and it was without a doubt the ugliest laugh she'd ever made. The waiter laughs too, apparently thinking she was the comedian here.

 _His restaurant sucked anyway_ , she thinks as she flies, and the waiter runs, away from what would probably be labeled, "A tragic kitchen fire."

it doesn't stop her from laughing all the way home.  "Oh 'Ten..." _This is so fucked up._ She shakes her head, "Who knew you were so dangerous when you were jealous?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> put off that gk/v for gt/b yesss i did tbh this conversation... kinda lacks a natural flow i think? it was difficult to figure out what they each thought was going on with the other. 
> 
> Also, aw. :( Vegeta's slow nervous break down. I'm really not looking forward to writing his conversation with Goku. It couldn't possibly go well, could it? I don't know. But on that note, have you ever felt so guilty you've made yourself physically ill? Yeah, honestly me neither, but my man Dostey writes about it in 'Crime and Punishment' so it must be a thing. 
> 
> Goten is king of petty these days.


	26. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku and Vegeta discuss what might be troubling their relationship.

Goku waits sitting on a rock in the middle of the wastes absently drawing circles in the dirt with a stick. He's decided, now that he knows his son a little better and has become familiar with how mean he is, it will be easy to forgive Vegeta for losing his temper. The other Saiyan is not exactly known for his tolerance of others and his extreme degree of 'training' these past few months has made it abundantly clear how terrible he felt about what happened.

He feels awful for letting it go this long. For letting Vegeta do this to himself. Forgiveness should have been easy. It should have happened sooner.  Maybe even that day in the Gravity Chamber... Vegeta was so quick to forgive him for leaving, and that should have been enough for Goku to do the same. He refused to doubt the intentions of that kiss despite Goten's words echoing around his head, eroding his optimism.

 

_...He's a toxin. He's using you..._

 

He shakes away the thoughts and shifts anxiously. _Once I forgive him, we can talk about... everything else._   Although last time he tried to get Vegeta talked about his... _feelings_ it didn't go well. Though, he admits, maybe a few hours after her funeral really hadn't been the best time to ask Vegeta about that.

He sits there repeating in his head what he wants to say and how he wants to say it, occasionally distracting himself with images of what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. And although it's nothing he hasn't said or done before and it's only been a few months, not quite a year, it's been over fifteen for Vegeta and that was a bit nerve wracking to think about. _What if he is different?_

On top of all these emotions and questions and half prepared speeches tangling up his mind, he's also a little annoyed because it's nearly three o' clock in the morning and he has successfully evaded his son ALL day and into the evening, who started texting him non stop about their next spar, if he was feeling better, apologizing for taking off suddenly, if he wanted to eat, about all sorts of random things with a weird sort of urgency that made him unsure if Bra really helped his situation- still, he managed to avoid all that, placate everyone, including his wife- in order to ensure this moment would be possible. And yet he can feel Vegeta's ki at Capsule Corp not moving, not training, _not doing anything!_ He wants to IT over there already and ask him what the deal is- _but he said to let him find you._

  
So instead, he pouts, blows air into his bangs, flares his ki a little and keeps waiting. _He better not be sleeping._

  
  
\--------

 

  
On the outskirts of West City he sits on the roof of Capsule Corp. fretting about the energy he can feel spiking lowly out in the wastes.

The only being left on this damn planet, maybe this whole galaxy who could possibly understand him was the last person he wanted to see and for once it was not because he was an annoyed with the third class who had no Saiyan pride, but because... _Why now?_

He feels his stomach churning again and he knows if he doesn't leave soon, Kakarot will show up here regardless of whether or not he wants him to and he definitely didn't want him to. Too many other variables were likely to get involved. He sighs as he finally takes off into the humid summer air.

He stops as soon as he sees him and watches for a moment before tapping down quietly and slowly approaching.

Goku smiles and turns his head. He stands up looking at Vegeta with soft dark eyes and leans into embrace him. He is halted by a hand in his chest and can't get him to look him in the eyes.

"I- Vegeta..." he says trying to wrap his hands around his waist with no luck. "V..." He gives up with a huff, "What- what is going on? Why- Why are you doing this?"

Vegeta opens his mouth to respond but no sounds come out. Goku didn't expect him to answer, but it was still frustrating. He exhales trying to organize what he wants to say,

"I know when I came back you- we- I didn't-  I know I was mad at you for what you did to Goten but I- He healed. He's ok. I mean, he's not... ok, he's kind of an asshole" _probably because of you but that's beside the point,_ "But I don't- I don't hate you, Vegeta, I could never hate you- I just wanted-" He struggles to explain, wishing he was better with words because it sounded so much clearer in his head. Now everything was getting mixed up and he just wants to tell Vegeta how he feels but he doesn't know how he feels or how Vegeta feels and that is making this so much harder-, "I know I should have said this sooner, but V, why didn't you ever come talk to me? You're- it's ok..." he struggles to catch Vegeta's gaze who is staring off somewhere into the darkness, "Vegeta, I... forgive you." With that he runs out of words and waits hopefully wondering if what he managed to get out would be enough to get his point across because they really needed to talk about _other_ things. 

  _Is that what he wanted to tell me? He forgives me?  For... what I told him happened._ "Kakarot... you have no idea what you're forgiving."

"I don't- I really don't care! I don't care anymore, Vegeta. It's forgiven!"

Words could not describe how relieved he would have been to hear those words that day in the Gravity chamber, where the hell was that relief now? He just felt hollow.

Goku watches Vegeta waver and battle with his thoughts. _Why doesn't he accept this? Why is he hesitating? Why is he still fighting me?_   His anxious resolve to push the conversation towards making Vegeta prove Goten wrong in someway or another was quickly building up pressure his brain. _We can't get anywhere if he is stuck on this!_ and he thinks maybe it will be easier for them to speak with actions. He could _show_ forgiveness. He could _show_ how sorry he was that he left. If he did that then maybe it would be easier for Vegeta to _show_ him what he wanted too. And he decides that would be more than good enough for now.

"Kakarot. Things have ch-" He doesn't finish as Goku suddenly pulls them chest to chest and places his hand gently over Vegeta's mouth. Goku shakes his head with a smile as lets his palm slip down behind Vegeta's neck and he leans in and kisses him.

Before Vegeta knows it his mind is dredging up every miserable thing in his past that never bothered him before and he keeps hearing this sick ragged voice in the back of his head he can't shut up say things like,

(You _fucked_ his son. He will never forgive _that_. Do you even _want_ him to? What kind of person accepts forgiveness for something like _that_? Sure, you _thought_ it was Kakarot, but you knew _something_ was wrong. He smelled different. Tasted different. Felt different. And Vegeta, don't forget, it felt _goo_ -)

He visibly shudders away his disgust with himself and pulls away.

"Nothing has changed." Goku puts his hand underneath the older saiyan's jaw and turns it back towards his mouth and tries harder to keep his rival turned who-knows-what there. _The talking can wait, I want him so bad- things are always better after we do it._ Then Goku's mouth begins to touch lower and lower, against his collar, against his chest, he lifts his shirt so he can get to his abs, and press his mouth against his- suddenly fingers are working quickly on the waistband of his shorts and Vegeta who was in a little too much shock that this was the direction Goku was suddenly taking the night in to respond much to his touch, reaches down abruptly to stop him.

"Don't."

"But-"

"I said don't!" He feels his insides burn with a hundred different emotions all aimed at this fucking idiot who trusts him so implicitly it should be against galatic law.  "I can't I- I can't. Kakarot I-" _I can't accept this, can't enjoy it, don't... deserve it._

"Why not? Everyone is asleep."

"It's not about getting caught." He pulls Goku back to his feet.

 _Why is he- he's not-_ Goku's now panicked mind spits out the first thing it can think of to keep Vegeta interested, "We can go off world if that's what you want. We can- we can do anything you want." He tries to lean in and kiss him but Vegeta's hands push on his shoulders and hold him back. That definitely wasn't what wanted, but anything was better than nothing, right? It had to be enough, it had to- "Ok, I won't... we can just-"

 _Did he just-_ _How is he still willing to concede my conditions? After everything I've put him through?_

(This idiot will forgive anything - look at that desperate face- yes, even _that._ He will, you know he will. You don't deserve this.)

His grip tightens and he can't bare to look at him anymore and he pushes him away, almost to the ground.

He catches himself, "Vegeta!? What the- What is wrong?!"

He hated this. He hated what he's done and he couldn't- _'I forgive you.'  Those fucking words._ They were as good as murder. She had said the same thing. Even though she'd break down on him, even though he continually disappointed her she still said it every time he chose to crush her heart with disloyalty. And Kakarot... he never had to say it, he practically screamed it through his actions, always there waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for this to be something it was never going to be, agreeing to damn near anything Vegeta asked him for in the process. He didn't want to hear those fucking words again excusing some godawful thing he's done for the hundredth time from ANYONE- _At least this will be the last time,_ he finally realizes what he needs to do. He should have done this years ago. He never should have given in in the first place but it was far too late for that. All he could do now was stop it. _Fuck! Kakarot why did you have to take this further- why did I ever let you-_  

"We can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean 'anymore?'"

"I mean it's been fifteen fucking years! I've changed! The world has changed! Nothing is the same! We can't DO THIS anymore!"  

"I- what? V, but we-"

"We what? We WHAT, Kakarot?"  

"We're..."

"No. No, what ever it is, we're not."

"I just wanted..."

"It doesn't _matter_ what you want, Kakarot. What did I tell you every time we did this?"

Goku hesitates and feels his face flush, "that it was just-"

"Just fucking."  He has lost count of how many times he has had to insist on this. Maybe some part of him has always known that if it were really true he wouldn't need to say it so often, but it's better to keep insisting. It's better for Kakarot to understand this so he can hate him like he hates himself.

"But it wasn't-"

"IT WAS."

"NO! It NEVER was and you know it!"

"Is that so? You really think it was more? You think all those times I fucked you until you couldn't stand were passionate embraces between lovers- No! You idiot! They weren't! That's not how lovers fuck, Kakarot! Not that you would know! I never lo-"

A super Saiyan blur slams into Vegeta and he happily matches because this was a language he could speak easily.

"You are lying! You are lying to me and you lied to Bulma!" He narrowly misses Vegeta's fist, and isn't quick enough to block a left elbow.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, KAKAROT! You know NOTHING about my relationship with her!"

He backs up from Vegeta's aggressive advance trying to wipe the blood out of his eyes, trying to block, trying to counter, trying to keep up, "Maybe not! But she's smarter than me and I always knew! So she must have too! Why are you-"

Vegeta throws his fists down, furious that he's so transparent, furious that the last remainder of his race choose now of all times to learn how to be stubborn, "Kakarot! You fucking- You still have a WIFE! Or did you fucking forget?! What the fuck could you possibly want from this? From me?!"

The blows pause while he keeps a healthy distance from Vegeta's kick radius, "She's not-! I dont-!" he avoids the uncomfortable topic altogether, "I want you to be honest with me! Why won't you just admit it?!"

"Admit WHAT?!"

"That this is more than-! I want- I want you to admit that your stupid conditions aren't for me! They were never for me! They were for you! Because you're scared! Afraid of your own feelings and this can't just end because _you_ say so, Vegeta!"

He's pretty sure his eye socket is now completely shattered and he thinks, _good point, V, that's definitely more effective than, 'because I said so.'_

They exchanged no words for the rest of the short bloody fight. Vegeta inwardly acknowledges that Goku has been catching up quickly, but not quick enough. By the end he has him pinned, both arms behind his back and presses his face down in to the dirt.

"Those conditions were for you Kakarot, because I knew this would happen. You were just a convenien-" And suddenly he is launched backward looking up at the beautiful glowing object of affection he was denying himself.

"A 'Convenience?' I was convenient? CONVENIENT?!" and now he's just shouting at him with more anger than he's ever felt and Vegeta has no idea what the fuck to make of this.

_Why did he seem so stuck on that word? I've said worse-_

"CONVENIENT?! YOU- I'M NOT JUST A- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" and damn did those punches HURT! Vegeta has to work hard to maintain the upper hand. It is far more violent, but he still finally pins him. Goku is frustrated that he is still weaker and Vegeta is frustrated too because he feels even worse than before as he struggles to hold him down and force him to accept this rejection as easily as he accepts everything else.

He can't stand to look at him for the final blow the one that will ensure Kakarot never comes back. The one that will allow him to suffer alone for his mistakes. He shuts his eyes and swallows down the regret he feels saying the words, "You're... not even... a worthy opponent anymore."

Then it stops. All the wiggling and kicking and attempted punches. He is still. Goku has suddenly dropped out of form and just lays there letting himself lose. Vegeta let's go without saying a word. He doesn't need to. He won. It's not the kind of win that has any pride or glory behind it and it is the first time he's ever seen Kakarot... give up. And he watches as Kakarot's eyes go dead with hatred. He recognizes the expression immediately but not because he's ever seen it on _his_ face.

He staggers to his feet and turns around feeling sick that he made Kakarot look like that. He feels his stomach heave but it empties nothing and he drops to his knees waiting for a response.

The silence is broken by a laugh. It is a short hurt laugh, the type that comes from the absurd humor in being able to accept the magnitude of disaster this attempt to go back to the way things were suddenly became. _Now, it was worse than ever! Ha!_   "He was right. I can't believe he was right. I thought... I thought I knew you better than anyone. But I don't know you at all, do I?"

A cold icy chill runs down Vegeta's spine and he turns back towards Kakarot, "Who... was right?"

Goku looks at him with a joyless smile as he stands up and brushes himself off trying to figure out how best to box away in his head the heart break he was agonizing over moments ago, so he could hide it in front of Vegeta. He would not give him the satisfaction of vulnerability after that kind of humiliation. And then Goten's words start circling around in his head again, and he has to ask, "Is it even a 'Saiyan thing?' Or was I just dumb and broken enough for you to take advantage of me? Was this all some kinda revenge because you could never beat me in a fight? And now that you can, I'm not 'worthy?'"

Vegeta's heart stops. _Revenge?! Where the FUCK did he get such a twisted idea?!_ "Wh- of course it's- you're not-  It wasn't about revenge- I-"

"All hail Prince Vegeta, strongest of the Saiyans. You finally got your wish. You win. I'm not even worth your time for a spar. I'll never annoy you again with my third class presence."

Vegeta stutters as he realizes what must have been happening while he's been training away his regret, refusing to deal with this. He wasn't the only target for that sick fuck's anger issues.  _Of course I wasn't._ It comes with unimaginable remorse, the sudden understanding that he has done exactly what that horrible little nightmare wanted. He walked right into it. He pushed Kakarot away, out of the way, and now he was alone to face that demon. Kakarot was his only chance to expose that miserable wretch, wasn't he? And now he'd never... believe him. All because... he wanted to keep feeling shitty about it.

_What have... I done_

Suddenly Vegeta changes his mind, he wants to tell Kakarot everything, _everything!_ He wanted to tell him that he waited all these years, trained so hard, stayed on earth, never left, because he thought he would come back, hoped he would, believed he would. That he cared, trained, housed his idiot son because it was the last piece of Kakarot he had and he looked just fucking like him, _Kami, it was so hard at times. Both our youngests killed me inside every day just looking at them, constantly reminding me of the people I wronged and could never apologize to._ He would finally admit what he had done. _fuck! I thought he was you_!  _I thought you were- and some how he planned this! planned- I don't-_ _and everything I told you tonight was a lie and it's tearing me apart how much you still want this because I-_

"No, Kakarot, I- Goten he-"

"Stop, Vegeta. It's ok. You don't have to explain. I understand now. And... I still forgive you." He says plainly without any kindness. "Even though you probably don't deserve it. And you're right, this... was a mistake. I'm still married. I should be getting back to _my wife._ " Vegeta reaches for him as he places two fingers to his forehead but he is too late. His hand makes contact with nothing.

"Wait, I-" He would have admitted fault, defeat, humiliation, anything Kakarot wanted he would have said it in that moment, but he is gone, the moment is gone and he is alone. For the thousandth time in his life, he is alone. And for once, he doesn't want to be.

His scream into the void is agonizing and long. Ki explodes off of him as he yells until his voice gives out. When his lungs could no longer produce sound, he vomits up everything his body so desperately needed to hold on to and then he collapses into darkness, exhaustion being the only way sleep could find him these days.

 

On the other side, despite his smug remark about still being married, when Goku appears in his home beside Chi Chi he realizes he has to immediately leave or he will wake her with the break down he could no longer put off and so he disappears, eyes already wet, out the bedroom window almost as quickly as he came.

 

\-----------

 

An explosion of energy wakes him up. He immediately recognizes it as Vegeta's. He pads quietly through the house. _No one else woke up? Good._ He'd always been a light sleeper. He quickly searches out the mostly likely cause for such an outburst, but his father's energy was no where near there... _Strange_. He also wasn't... at home. _Stranger_. He debates which one of the two he should go to.

He can hear the sobbing as soon as he touches down.

"Dad... is everything-"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" His father is hardly an inch from his face and stanced for a fight. Goten backs away hands up,

"I- I felt your energy- I-" He's having trouble figuring out what to say because _holy shit those bruises were BAD,_ and he'd never seen him _angry_ before so that was odd and so many questions were running through his head now as he watches his father back off and sit back down by a river bank.

His face falls into his hands and he starts crying again. Goten hears him say something muffled but can't make it out.

"What?"

He lifts his head up and makes a choking noise, "I said! You were right!"

"I was..."

"YES! You were right... He... does not feel the same way."

 _Look at you, Vegeta, proving me right and getting my job done for me in the most unexpected ways. It wasn't me you needed to hit after all_ , _saved my pretty face another day,_ "He did this?"

Goku's face twists, as much as it can, with upset, and he nods.

 _Damn. I missed the whole fight._ _How did it go this badly?_ "Did you at least get some good damage in?"

"Yeah, he looks worse."

Goten's brow raises with doubt, "...are you... lying?"

Tears start streaming down his face again as he nods.

Goten sits down with a long sigh beside his father. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being right." He turns his head to hide his smile. _I am sorry, he really fucked you up. But oh Kami, do I also love being right._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And although i did consider naming this "Don't You Hate It When I'm Right?" I decided, it would be better to mislead my audience with promise of happiness. Sorry. I swear I'm not writing this with no "happy end" in sight... but, we're at the plot critical ch's now and everything happens for a reason. <3 
> 
> anyway this was probably my favorite chapter so far to write. Like, yes, I really liked the family dinner chapter with Goten, Gohan and Chi Chi, but this, I don't know. It was just agonizing the whole way and I'm a sucker for broken people doing broken things and absolutely love writing heartbreak. uhg. kills me. the worse the better.
> 
> also, i really play around with how much and how well they can sense each other? I hope I've kept that fairly consistent or at least consistent enough that it isn't glaringly problematic//plothole inducing.


	27. Blood Is Thicker

The sun is starting to come up and his father, who is sleeping on the grass, looked almost back to normal after finally agreeing to eat a senzu bean and crying himself to exhaustion. Goten wasn't able to get any more out of him, but settled on the fact that this was a victory, for them both, even if his father didn't realize it.

Although it bothers him Vegeta is still in the desert. _What kind of training could he possibly be doing right now?_ He grumbles internally that it would be impossible for him to approach Vegeta today without drawing his father's attention. So, despite the Prince of anger management issues continually throwing him for a loop, he'd have to find something other than a direct approach to figure out what was going on with him. Bra probably wouldn't be very compliant after yesterday, _(or maybe she would be...)_ but Trunks, Trunks was always a good reliable friend when he needed it most. Maybe he could find an excuse to visit capsule corp today after all. 

He nudges his father, "Dad, hey dad." Goku slowly opens his eyes. "We should go home." 

"I wanna... spar" he says sleepily, the edges of his dream still threading their way through his words.

"No. I really don't think you do. Let's go home."

He is unusually quiet as he gets up and teleports Goten back to his brother's house and doesn't say a word before disappearing to mount Paozu. 

_Well, hopefully I don't need to worry about him doing something rash after...that. Then again... I must get it from somewhere._ He brushes the thought aside and walks inside

  
  
\----------  
  


 

Trunks fell asleep in the labs and woke up looking at a stack of papers. It took much longer than his sister had said it would, but the damned thing was finally off. _Probably forever._ Though he'd have to remember to keep a close eye on equipment orders for the next few weeks because he didn't miss his father's quiet mention that he would in fact try to fix the Gravity chamber. He has just woken up and already finds himself biting the inside of his cheek from worry. _There's NO way I'm going to let him buy bullets for the gun he just shot himself in the foot with._

They had finished around midnight and his father wandered off sometime after that while he stayed down in the labs to try and catch up on work. Not that he had any luck. It had been a long quiet day in front of a screen and the little sleep he'd gotten the night before only added to his fatigue.

He hadn't even tried to ask about why they were in this situation to begin with. Although he did learn the language his father wrote in was not Saiyan, it was a some form of galactic standard that was used widely on the black market, _so, that was something._

The Sun is barely up as he lifts his head from the desk. There are lines all over his face and he pulls a paper clip off his cheek as he gets up and makes his way upstairs. _Something feels off._ He makes it all the way to the kitchen before he figures out what's wrong. He takes his hand off the fridge handle and starts walking, then running towards the other side of the compound. He stands in front of his father's door. He doesn't know why he bothers knocking, he knows there's no one there. His ki is no where inside Capsule Corp. It wasn't even in West City. Normally, that wouldn't panic him. _But after yesterday..._

"Where the f-" He bolts to the nearest exit and takes off before thinking better of it.

When he finally spots his father, he can't suppress the noise of shock and he lands a little harder than he means causing the full Saiyan laying on the hot sandy ground to finally stir. 

After a long night of a sleep that offered no rest Vegeta finally gains the strength to crack his eyes open and finds himself staring up at purple. _Fuck._

"Dad, da-" Trunks kneels down and puts his hand on his shoulder which Vegeta quickly shrugs off as he sits up.

"I'm fine." he gruffs before glaring at his son.  "What are you doing here?"

"What am I- what are YOU doing here!? We're-" Trunks looks around at the wasteland and gestures, "we're in the middle of fucking nowhere! What the hel-"

Vegeta growls and struggles to his feet. "I left to train."

"Train?! Tr- what?! You haven't done something like this in YEARS. Not since-"

"Since what?!" He snipes defensively. Trunks diverts his gaze from his father and stays silent. "The machine is broken, where else was I supposed to go?" 

Trunks shakes his head in angry disbelief, "Because YOU broke it!"

"It needs an upgrade."

"No, no! It doesn't need an upgrade! You think I don't know the difference between a stray blast and sabotage? That was NOT TRAINING! Kami, I can't believe the shit you say sometimes! That is not- Dad, it took DAYS just to shut it-!"  His words drop off as his father staggers slightly in front him but catches himself, "Dad... What... were you doing out here?"

"None of your fuckin' business, bra-" He says as his head begins to drop towards his chest and his eyes struggle to stay open.

"Wrong!" _Kami, you and Goten are just alike sometimes, no wonder you two hate each other!_ "You... are wrong. You haven't eaten, you haven't slept... properly at least, Kami, what you did with the gravity room was-" he sighs, "un-fucking-believable is what it was. I had to call Bra back from school to help me and Goku of all fucking people was the one who dragged you out of there! I-What... the fuck is going on?"

The mention of Goku's name pulls his attention from a dreamless darkness and he stares wide eyed at his son. His brain is still hazy and his only thought at the moment is Trunks has that same look of concern that Bulma would get in the very beginning when he first knew her, when he still obsessed over power, before he realized there were other things worth fighting for. Seeing it now on his son breaks him just a little more.

Vegeta silently wishes he didn't keep hurting everything he cared about. He asks himself why couldn't seem to get this right; this simple life without bloodshed and horror. He wonders why dealing with the people close to him was so much harder than dealing with his enemies. He thinks, today would have been easier if it had been  _Goten_ who showed up. Blood. He could do that easily. He would find the energy to kill him. It didn't matter, Kakarot couldn't hate him more, he was sure of it. But now, looking at that expression, those familiar blue eyes, he feels too exhausted to be angry with his son for asking questions he didn't want to answer, too exhausted to stay angry with himself over last night, over the last fifteen years, too exhausted to find reasons to keep his regrets bottled up, and he finds himself answering honestly instead.

"...I made... a mistake." It is a relief to admit it out loud even though it is not to the person who needs to hear it.

His son breaks the long silence that follows his odd admission, "What.... is that supposed to mean?"

Vegeta's vision begins to blur from the heat, the lack of food, the lack of water, and he stumbles forward before he can say more.

"Dad?" Trunks catches him and holds him by his shoulders, "dad? wh- damn, you are fucked up." He says now completely supporting him.

Vegeta follows up with something that is incomprehensible other than the word, 'Kakarot' and loses consciousness again. At least twice on their way home Vegeta wakes up, struggles against his son, succeeds and makes it a few meters before free falling to the ground. Trunks manages to catch him of course, but not without sweating a few buckets of regret over his decision to always skip training for work, women and just about anything else that caught his attention.  
  
When he walks in with his father he is met by the scrutinizing gaze of his sister. She is standing on the stairs looking her always drop dead gorgeous self despite the frizzy blue mass of hair standing on end and mismatched pajamas. She has a toothbrush still in her mouth and had been awake for about twelve minutes. Which as it turns out, was enough time for her to realize that her brother and father were not out just getting groceries and liquor. Her feet tap on the cool laminate as she walks up to them. She places her hand on her father's face and turns it revealing mild bruises on his jaw and temple. 

"Were you training with him?"

"No."

Her bright narrowed gaze flickers up towards her brother's, "He didn't do that to himself." She walks away back down the hall towards a bathroom and finishes brushing. 

He knew it was true before his sister said anything, but hearing it reconfirmed by someone else wasn't helping his nerves at the moment. Trunks closes his eyes momentarily and takes a breath before getting his father up the stairs and on to his unmade bed without further incident.

When he returns back downstairs his sister is sitting at the kitchen table with two cups of coffee, or rather, one cup of coffee and one cup of milk and sugar with less than a splash of coffee in it.

"I was really hoping you'd been training with him." She stares at her brother with furrowed brows. "What happened?"

"I- I don't know. I woke up, noticed he'd left and... after yesterday... I went to go find him. He was in the wastes unconscious, or sleeping, I don't know it- he woke up for a few minutes but... Fuck, he's... really sick or... something I don't- I almost took him to a hospital-"

"Really, Trunks," she interrupts with an irritated click of the tongue, "I think he'll be ok. He doesn't look as bad as he did yesterday, trust me. Probably thought that dumb bean was good enough and didn't let himself recover properly before... doing whatever it is he does."

"Doesn't look as bad? are you serious?"

She frowns and sips from her mug, "Yes. And honestly, a hospital wouldn't do him any good and you know it. How many times have you and 'Ten ended up in the ER with the doctors just scratching their heads at your fucked up anatomies?" Her brother shrugs, "Exactly. The only good thing that ever comes out of a Saiyan at a hospital are the conspiracy theories about super soldier projects." 

"or the alien ones."

"Well, those aren't theories, are they?" 

He can't help the momentary smirk before resuming his tired expression, "The inadequacies of human medicine aside, as you pointed out earlier I don't think this was part of his usual routine.... and it's not like there are many candidates for who would've been out there with him." 

"Two to be exact." Her eyes shift toward the gloomy weather present in the window. She purses her lips while she thinks and considers that although this was hardly ideal, their father wearing himself down to unconsciousness again in a fight, it was very likely not a worst case scenario. 

_It must have been Goku._ For better or worse she had pretty much given that giant idiot the green light to do... whatever it was he thought he needed to do to make things right, which was apparently try to solve their issues the big dumb Saiyan way and fight it out. _Uhg, really, Goku!? You fought him? AGAIN? After I helped you?! Maybe you are stupid because you are certainly not helping! And I swear if your dumb son is right about you, I will lose my mind because I hate when he's right!_

And although she is royally pissed she holds off on rashly seeking him out and making him disappear by her own methods. Goten seemed immensely protective of his father and through that made it abundantly clear yesterday who the real danger was. It was not hard to see that whatever he wanted out of this was something far less innocent than a _fight. (And he calls ME the deviant.)_ She was still trying to figure out what the hell to do what _that_ information...

Trunks waves his hand in front of her face, "hey, sis, planet Earth is calling-"

She bats his hand away, "yeah, I know, I was ignoring it. I had more important planets on the line."

He snorts. "Yeah? And what were they saying?"

She decides the best option for now is to keep her thoughts to herself until she figured out a way to tell Trunks without sending him into a full blown meltdown. _One trainwreck at Capsule Corp. is quite enough thank you very much._ "It doesn't matter... I highly doubt in either case, he's the worse looking party." she pauses thoughtfully as something occurs to her, "Dad might have even been the one who started it." 

"Does that really matter? This- this is a problem. 'Ten has been trying to pick fights with him for weeks, I-"

That jarred her from her thoughts, "He... wait, he what? I thought he hadn't been to capsule corp in months."

"Well, yeah, but he came over a few weeks ago, and a couple times since then... it's not like he ever _did_ anything, I don't know- but he admitted he was looking for a fight, I think it's- maybe he's trying to prove something to his dad? or something? Or it's revenge? for our dad just fuckin' railing on him that one time- I don't know! I haven't been able to get it out of him."

"Trunks." she closes her eyes and exhales, restraining her temper only because it's her brother, "I really _really_ think you need to get into the habit of telling me these things, because you clearly don't know what to do with them except get stressed out and try to drown them in alcohol." 

"I- that's not true" he tightens his grip on his hot coffee defensively and looks away from his sister, "I punched him in the face."

"HA! You WHAT!?" she watches him with a smile, "You are my brother after all!"

"Thanks, B. Sister of the year, yourself, of course." he rolls his eyes. "but yeah, he was being a real dick and sometimes that's the only way he gets the message." 

"Regardless... I still don't think 'Ten did _this_. He would have looked.... worse. Did dad say anything? When he woke up?"

"Kind of? He was really out of it. Said he made a mistake and then I don't know, some other shit I couldn't understand... You really still think this is about his and Goku's... rivalry or whatever? I mean, yeah he was here yesterday but, our father out powers him by a significant margin, doesn't he? It must be something else. I really think 'Ten is-"

"A problem." He looks up startled at his sister. "A big fucking problem. Both of them are. I know... I just don't know what to do about it." 

He sighs in exasperation, "Well, we have to do something, because I can't keep chasing his ass all over the planet every time he decides to have a nervous breakdown, not at the rate he's having them! We need to get him help or- or something!"

She shrugs and pulls out her phone, "Oh, right, 'help.' Let me pull up my list of xeno-psychologists with a specialty in helping reformed alien mass murders with their fucked up emotional issues. That'll fix him!"

He rolls his eyes, "That's not-"

"Trunks! Yes, he needs _serious_ help, probably has for a long time, but I don't know anyone capable of doing 'talk therapy' with the Prince of goddamn Saiyans! Do you? Don't be ridiculous!" She downs the rest of her nearly cold coffee, "'Help.'" she says in mock, "Where the fuck do you even-"

"Then what!? What do you want me to do, because this!" he points upstairs, "I can not do this every fucking day. I have a company to run and fuck-! more importantly, he is our father! and as impossibly stubborn as he can be I'm not going to stand by watch him destroy himself over some petty rivalry with some asshole who left his family for the better half of two decades or whatever-!"

"I know! I know, Trunks! Shut... fuck, shut up." she blows a hot frustrated breath at the bangs over her eyes. "I'm thinking."

She was still stuck on Goten's unusual protectiveness over his father given the circumstances. _Who would protect someone they're envious of?_ She thought it downright absurd he even TRIED to convince her it was because the fool was married, _uhg, 'family values' give me a break,'Ten, you've never had those._ The only conclusion she could reasonably draw was that he must see Goku as the weak link in whatever he's doing. If he was the weak link, then he was exploitable. If he was exploitable then he was the key to getting their father back on the sanity wagon and she had made a good move yesterday even if the results didn't pan out as she hoped. _I think we need to sit down and have another heart to heart, Goku._ The trouble was... how was she supposed to get to that big dummy again without drawing 'Ten's violent ire. 

"It's not like we can't keep him from leaving so we have to figure out-" 

"I mean, we _could_ if-"

"No- B, you're not- No. No, no, just, no- Are you still working with that shit? I told you stop or I pull all your projects. If you think I'm not serious, I swear-"

She shakes her head innocently as he scowls at her with as much disapproval as he can muster.

"This is why you're not on the board" he mutters.

"I'm not on the board because I don't want to be. It's BORING." She huffs and knocks over her empty coffee cup, then incinerates it. "...Maybe we should just torture Goten and Goku for information. They seem to know more about all this rival bullshit than we do." She thinks this would be also a lot easier if she could tell Trunks what she thought was really going on. _Wait... Rivalry... That's it. That's perfect._ Her eyes brighten as she looks at her brother.

There is quirk in his lip, because while he'd never admit it, he always appreciated his sister's ability to keep her dark humor in darker times. However, he also knew better than to take her jokes lightly. He presses his finger tips together and leans his face into the space between his thumbs and index fingers. "Let's for now just try to keep... those two away from Capsule Corp. until we figure what the fuck they're doing, or did." 

"Oh, Good! You're not completely opposed to my idea! That's really great, because I could really use your help with Goten-"

"No, B, that is definitely not what I said-"

"Trunks, listen! I have this theory-"

"Bra!" He is now running his fingers through his hair, "I'm not going to let you hurt 'Ten. Or Goku, Ok? We need to-"

"Obviously, Trunks..." she lets out an exaggerated sigh, "I had no intentions of _hurting_ them. Don't be so crude. My methods really aren't as terrible as everyone makes them out to be, if you'd just listen-"

He looks at her with a raised brow. "not as- Is that so?"

"It is." She says with a smirk inherited straight from her father. 

He closes his eyes and presses his face back into palms exuding a deep groan, "Fine, I'll bite. What's your theory?"

She smiles, Trunks was a good brother. He would always help his little sister before he helped Goten. Or at least, she was more than prepared to make that bet.  
  


 

\---------------

 

  
It is edging on evening and Goten is finishing his sixth sandwich reading through his texts back and forth from Trunks thinking about how rare it was that Trunks ever turned down an opportunity to ditch his responsibilities for drinking with his best buddy, especially in the summertime. And because of this sudden insistence that he 'had to finish this project' and 'yes everything's fine' Goten's own side project at Capsule Corp. would have to wait. He then decides, with satisfaction, that everything was already falling into the places they needed to be and there was nothing else to be done today. So naturally, a few hours later he finds himself two bottles deep at a dimly lit bar because drinking at home near his puritanical brother was never any fun these days.  _Biggest. Buzzkill. Ever._ _I disappear ONE TIME and suddenly I'm the household liability he has to constantly watch and lecture, not Pan, who is always gone to who knows where until who knows when._

He leans back against a lounge chair with a cold drink in hand while a dark-eyed beautiful man leans over him and tries to convince him why he's the one tonight. And although he'd more or less sworn off humans, he has to admit he's enjoying the attention maybe he could make an exception, after all, it had been _a while._ He ignores the idle thought in the back of his head that control was still a lingering issue, especially if he was drunk. Especially if he didn't care. 

He's about to say something back with his warm dark liquor stained voice until the sudden appearance of another Saiyan's energy jolts his attention. He and the man scramble back in surprise.

"Ah!! Da-?! What-?!"

"Goten?"

"What are you doing here?!"

"Holy shit! Where the hell did he come from?!" the human looks from Goten, to the man who has just appeared, then back again, "...is that your twin? I love his hair-"

"He's not- no!"  He glares at the human, then at the very out of place shirtless Saiyan. He finishes his drink, stands up, and quickly pulls his father out of the bar. 

On his way out, Goku looks curiously at every bright colorful unusual clothing choice around him. He was a little too startled by his surroundings to focus so he couldn't be sure, but he thinks nearly everyone there was male. 

When they reach the outside, Goten roughly pushes his father towards the brick wall, "-The fuck!? Dad! You can't just teleport to whoever you want, whenever you want! Did it every occur to you I might be busy? Kami, what if I'd been- ahg! Dad! What the hell? Why are you here?"

It honestly had occurred to Goku that he might be interrupting because he usually was, but he was also used to it so he didn't think much of his son's admonishments. He was still looking all around at all the various people outside the bar smoking cigarettes, casually chatting, he saw two making out or, _wait, no, they're-?_ He suddenly turns his gaze away, embarrassed. "I just... wanted to talk to you."

"Dad, it is eleven o' clock at night and" His face scrunches in disbelief, "look, I get that you had a really rough night last night, but you know your phone works twenty four seven, right?"

"Yeah, of course I know that-"

"Then use it instead of giving my happy ass a heart attack in the middle of the night!" His father's dejected look reels in his temper and he can't stop himself from asking with a defeated sigh, "What could you possibly need to come and talk to me about so badly that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"I... um, I left Chi Chi."

His inebriated mind suddenly felt a lot more sober. His jaw hesitates to form words, "Y-You what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, apologies for the long wait, moving is hectic! but also finished *sigh of relief*   
> Eh, there should be another chapter coming out in a couple of days. I wrote it before I wrote this one, or i wrote them side by side. It's something I wanted to write/post a long time ago but just didn't work any earlier in the story, it needed a good trigger... it's one of my favorites T_T  
> this one honestly gave me a lot of trouble. Ah, those briefs! I didn't know what to do with any of them until the end.  
> anyway, updates should be a bit more fluid now ^^


	28. Liberation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku ruins his marriage and it's really a good time for everyone.

  
He has just returned to mount Paozu after taking Goten home and the sun has barely risen above the treeline as he walks through the door. He is surprised to find his wife already awake at the counter washing dishes or cooking, he doesn't know, he doesn't care. He stops in the hallway and remains quiet as he takes in her figure. Always conservatively dressed, she hides her age well but she's not Saiyan; it still showed through her graying hair and the wrinkles on her face. She was a little rounder, a little more fragile, though her ki was still high and bright for a human and it glowed through her. She remained strong, determined, and organized, things he desperately needed from anyone trying to be more than the occasional sparring partner.

  
He thought, considering the circumstances, he'd made a pretty good choice for a wife. _Not that it had been a choice, she was the one who decided we get married._ She had decided almost everything about their relationship and although he knew it was completely necessary because he had no idea what to do in that regard it could at times feel... suffocating; like he was drowning in obligations he could never seem to uphold.

In fact, even though he knew how much it hurt her when he left, the cause for those temporary absences both with Vegeta and alone had morphed over time from the simple desire to fight into a needed escape from the life he found more and more frustrating as time went on. Because, well, saving the world? That was easy: Train, fight, win. _So easy!_ But... keeping Chi Chi happy? Settling down to live a human life despite being everything but that? _Not so much._

But this was how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to be happy with her, supposed to _stay_ with her. Supposed to _want_ her. She had told him so. Everyone told him so.   
  
_...Even Vegeta said so._   
  
"Oh, Goku, where were you? Do you want Brea-" Her words drop off in surprise when she feels his arms wrap tightly around her. She can feel a shaky breath against her neck as his lips touch her skin and his nose brushes away her hair. She sets down what was in her hands and tries to turn around but he doesn't let her. He holds her tighter.

"Chi Chi..." His fingers press a little harder. "I'm sorry." 

"I know. I know you are." She feels him shake his head and waits for him to say something more but he never does.

And while it was true a part of her had been furious at him; furious that her hard work to create the family she wanted was ruined by the one she relied on to maintain it, furious he left her for the hundredth time, _and for so long,_ now that he was here again she found it impossible not to let her bitterness melt away like it always did every time he came back. She found it impossible not to want to acknowledge how hard he'd been working the last few months to make it up to her, the lost time. She found it impossible not to notice how much he hadn't changed, how much he was still the man she fell in love with. Handsome, spontaneous, and so sweet even if he could be a little absent minded at times. 

So, even though it's a little embarrassing, him touching her like this in the kitchen of all places, she could not bring her self to deny him, not now, not ever. She'd been hoping, since his return, in the back of her mind that he would do something other than kiss her and work the fields to show her that waiting had been worth it, to show her he still loved her. As unbecoming of her as it might be, _this_ was the reassurance she had been looking for. 

Not two months ago she had even invited him back to their bed and to her disappointment, although he joined her, he did nothing while she lay there next to him waiting and she had been a little too embarrassed, a little too nervous to be forward with him after so long. Instead, she quietly wondered if it was because he didn't find her attractive anymore. If it was because hair was graying, because she had lines on her face. She had taken care of herself, but she wasn't twenty five anymore. She knew that. As much as it hurt her, she couldn't blame him.

And yet, day after day he managed to keep her insecurity at bay each time he kissed her, insisting she was still beautiful. It flooded her with hot shame how much she wanted more now that he was here again, even after ten- no- fiteen years, after she had already mourned and accepted that he'd never come back. She had always remained loyal to her heartbreak and she was so desperate now that he had come back for it all to be worth something. To gain back some semblance of the life she'd been denied.  
  
His hands come up and cup her chest and she feels his fingers squeeze lightly, "Goku!" she says as blush quickly works across her face, "why don't we move to the-"

"No." He runs one of his hands down from her chest, along her soft middle and presses it between her legs. He keeps moving his mouth to different places on her neck and rubs his calloused fingers against her gently. 

His abrupt denial catches her off guard but the last thing she wanted to do was start an argument when he finally decided he was comfortable enough to be intimate. So instead of reprimanding him, she leans into his touch and presses her hips back into him slightly. "Ah, Ok..." 

When he hears a small gasp escape her he finds the slit along the side of her dress and runs his palm underneath tearing some of the fabric so his fingers could dip beneath a soft cotton band. He relies on her moans to tell him when he finds the sweet spot along the part of her that always sort of weirded him out. _There was just too much going on down there, so many folds and details, what am I supposed to do with it all? Why does it always look more complicated than attractive?_

In the past he had generally tried to avoid the whole mess by jumping straight to it. Though that usually only seemed to make it worse and he finds it difficult to ignore, now that he's got his hand all over it, the reasons why he began having an affair in the first place. But he continues. He needed to show her he could be a good husband, the husband she wanted. He needed to show himself that he didn't _want_ Vegeta, didn't _need_ Vegeta; he still had his wife who, although demanding and critical, loved him, wanted him.

He keeps his motions simple and gentle which seems to work because she moans a little louder as his fingers slide across her soft wet folds and follow the slick lines until he finds the warm place inside her. 

He thinks it's sort of gross that it has to do that, make that wet almost sticky substance coating his fingers, even though it makes it easier _. But... spit was easy enough too, wasn't it?_ Even without spit it still felt pretty damn good in his opinion. He was Saiyan though. _Maybe it's different for humans?_ By this point in his life he was finally beginning to grasp that the differences between humans and Saiyans although subtle, were many. 

He grinds against her trying to get something out of this for himself but keeps getting distracted by the fact that even though she smelled like sex, he couldn't get himself interested and- _Ahg! Why isn't this working!?_

He withdraws his fingers, lifts up her dress and strips his sweatpants down to his knees. He tries to stroke himself to the sight but gets frustrated with his body's lack of response and winds up rushing into his waiting wife only half way to where he needs to be. He thinks maybe the physical stimulation will be enough this time, sometimes it was, as he begins thrusting into her with fast desperate strokes.

"Uhn, Goku- Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry too-" 

He rests his forehead against her neck, "s-shh Chi, I- ah, I need this. I need you-" _to prove I'm ok. It's him- it's him who's broken, not me- I'm-_ "ah-" He pulls her hips flush against his as he edges one of his hands down from the irritated tail scar he was failing to stimulate to somewhere equally sensitive and presses two fingers into himself. He leans over her and lays his still clothed chest to her back and his face deeper into her neck to keep her from looking back. 

And it all feels _good_ , but it didn't feel _right_. He has to try so hard to keep his head from flooding with all the thoughts and feelings and memories that he didn't want to feel or think or remember anymore. He is too stressed out and nothing he does is bringing him any closer. He pulls his hand out from behind him and grips the counter until it cracks as he pounds into his wife harder, trying to find some kind of release.

He can see pain beginning to edge in on her face, hear her hips banging into the counter, feel her legs shaking as he holds her tightly against his relentless pace and he knows this isn't right. Not just for himself, but for her. 

"G-Goku- s-s-slow down! S-slow- Stop! Goku, Stop!"

And he does, immediately, nearly soft, almost sobbing, trying to hold back the anger and furstration and desperation he feels as he asks himself WHY this hurt as much as it did, WHY he couldn't just enjoy his wife, WHY this never did anything for him; all of that compounded by the crushing ache he couldn't ignore telling him that he'd never feel with her what he felt with Vegeta, _even though he didn't feel anything! according to HIM!_ That is the thought that nearly breaks him. 

Suddenly there is a crackle of energy in his finger tips, the need to release SOMETHING rips through him and he can not hold it back. She almost jumps when he yells and slams his fist straight through the concrete wall dividing the kitchen from the dining room.

"Goku! Goku, I- what's wrong?!" 

He turns around and looks at the now exhausted looking woman he never loved the way she deserved then forces his eyes up to the ceiling to avoid letting the salt prickling the corners to fall down his face. She walks up to him slowly, stepping over the small chunks of tan drywall and grey rock he dislodged from the wall.

She approaches slowly, but without fear, "Goku... I know... I know this has always been... difficult for you... I- it's.. it's ok- It was the first time since.. since you've been back, these things can take time and... I know I'm not as young as I used to be-" she looks up at him softly.

"That's... it's not- It's not you, Chi." he says, letting her wrap her arms around him. He stands against the hole he just made, his arms slack at his sides, thinking about the last time he'd let her down like this. It had been before he left. Several years before he left.  
  


_He nervously halts her advances, "I thought you didn't want more kids?"_

_"I... I don't. But it's... not always about...that" She bites her lip trying not to sound to lewd, but they hadn't been together in so long, almost two and a half years and she wishes he would show her he desired her a little more often._

 

At the time the guilt of knowing he was getting something she wasn't weighed on him and he didn't know how else to respond other than let her try. She always tried harder than he did and it almost always still ended in disappointment.  
  
He quietly untangles her from him. "I'm going to take a shower." He was still covered in blood and dirt from the night before and now he felt even more gross. All he wanted to do now was wash it all away. His wife follows him to the bedroom but lets him shower alone. She passes the time waiting for him to finish by putting on another dress that isn't torn and redoing her hair. He is still not out when she is finished so she presses her ear to the door and opens her mouth to call his name until she hears a sound suspiciously similar to crying. She frowns, decides to leave, and gives him room instead.

 

  
It is late by the time she is done with her usual errands. She caught herself continually stopping to stare off and reflect on what happened this morning, what he had said, what had gone wrong, _what was always going wrong._ She wanted to be upset, she wanted to blame him, but she couldn't. Not after seeing how much it bothered him, how badly he wanted to make it right... So she started wondering what she could do to make it... easier. Not that it had ever been easy before, but he seemed to be trying so hard to make this work that by the time she found herself back at home just in time to make him dinner, she decided she would try harder too.

When she returns she spends an hour and a half cooking a dinner he never shows up for and finds him still in their bedroom naked as the day he came, sprawled out face down on their bed.

"Goku?" She hears a soft sound letting her know he's awake. "Goku, what are you doing? Have you been like this all day?" she throws a blanket over him with a teasing smile, "don't you want to eat? I made-"

"No." And although he could see nothing but pillow, he could feel the hurt that just appeared on her face. "It's... been a long day. I'm tired. I'm just... tired. I'm sorry."

There is a long silence as he feels the mattress dip down next to him, "...What if..." she bits her lip not sure if he would even be interested, he had never been interested before, "what if we tried something else?"

His brows furrow and he tries to figure out what she's talking about, "No, you cook fine Chi, I'm just-"

"I don't mean my cooking." He finally turns over partially to look at her and she places one of her hands on his cheek. "I mean... us. What if... we did something different? Between us?"

He props himself up on his elbows and leans in to her hand. He knows she wants him to kiss her, touch her... she always wanted him to do something. It makes his stomach twist with discomfort just thinking about it, especially after this morning. He leans in and kisses her anyway, like he always does, and she smiles at him because she doesn't know the difference. 

"I... I know there were certain things... that I thought were...degrading... but I'm older, we're... it's harder for me to keep up with you... maybe I can... we can-" He sits up and looks at her trying to figure out what she's talking about as she places her soft hands on his thighs, "I just...  I don't want to give up." She positions herself between his legs and looks down at his lap with an open mouth until he starts to pick up on what she's asking.

"I-" his mouth drops in disbelief, "I- hold on, let's-" He's hesitant to let her, after the disaster that was this morning, he really wasn't in the mood, but she looks so determined, and he shouldn't stop trying if she doesn't, _should I? It couldn't hurt to try one more time, right_? "Ok... we can do... something different...." He adjusts so she'll be more comfortable.

She didn't think he'd agree this quickly, she thought she'd have a little more time to figure out how to do it and is somewhat flustered as she takes her time looking at him; at his face, then his crotch, then his face again, then at his-

"Chi, if you don't-" He looks away with discomfort.

"No, I want to." She moves her hand around his sculpted hips and keeps him from shifting away from her. Then she reluctantly, lightly, grasps the problem that has stood between them for so many years and moves her face towards the only part of his body that has ever been soft. "I want to."

After a few minutes in her timid fingers and hesitant insecure kisses just below his navel edging ever closer without ever quite getting there, he is convinced he won't be able to get hard, let alone get of, which seemed like a ridiculous notion because blowjobs were supposed to be amazing, had always felt amazing and he himself, was amazing at them and if he could figure it out, he was pretty sure anyone could. Especially since very few things about Vegeta were easy to figure out. Vegeta was- _Wait, no, don't... think... about-_   But as he feels her finally take him into her mouth, behind the private sanctuary of his eyelids he can see nothing other than Saiyan Royalty.

Without warning his rival is on his knees in front of him, soaking wet, naked torso, tight spandex shorts, dark blue, leaving _so little_ to the imagination, mouth parted, still smirking, _he was always smirking,_ and deep dark eyes looking up at him daring him to do _something-_

He feels a pulse of blood run through him and he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, while shutting his eyes tighter in anguish and embarrassment because he was wrong. He is able to get hard.

_No. Stop. Thinking. About. V-_

He tries to shove the image away but he can't help it as she gently moves her tongue around. He's all he can think about because _He does it better._ That single image he can't get rid of breaks the dam and now there is a flood of fantasies and memories, some innocent, some _definitely not_ , some of them aren't even Vegeta, but  _none_ of them are Chi Chi and he knows it's too late, far too late. He is forced to give up.

He just wants to feel good and this didn't feel good. It was making him feel worse: lying to her, lying to himself, pretending to want her, to want to be here, to want any of this. Even he could forget Vegeta, he didn't want this. And it is only then that he realizes he would have been miserable here with or without the other Saiyan to show him why. This frustrating dissatisfaction was something he felt before he met Vegeta. The realization washes over him like an icy cold river on a hot day. Jarring, almost painful, but also offering insurmountable relief. 

He presses his hand gently against her forehead and slowly pushes her off and away from him. Her face is riddled with confusion, insecurity, her desperation to make things right, her want to have the perfect life he'd denied her in so many ways. 

"Chi... I'm sorry. I... can't... do this."

 _This will never work. It had never worked_. Not the way she wanted, not the way he wanted. She wanted something he could not give her, could never give her. He shouldn't have come back to her. Not this time, nor anytime he left. He asks himself as he watches her try not to break down in front of him why he bothered trying these last few months. Their kids were grown, Gohan and Goten didn't live here, they had their own lives, it didn't matter, they didn't need to pretend anymore. _This... isn't worth the effort..._

"You... can, I-"

"I can't. Chi Chi, I can't." He places his hands firmly on her shoulders and holds her, trying to figure out where they could go from here. 

"No, Goku, you can, I will not-"

"Chi Chi!" he shakes her gently to make her listen. The movement causes tears to fall down her cheeks, "I _won't_." He wishes he had found a way to tell her sooner, before he left her alone for so long. He moves to wipe one of her tears away but she swats his hand away and stand up.

"Chi..." He reaches for her.

"No. NO! Don't TOUCH me!" she bats back his arm defensively and there is a long agonizing silence between them. "I have waited and tried for SO LONG!" she pauses and breathes heavily through her nose, "You can not IMAGINE what I've gone through, FOR YOU! WAITING for you to come back! The sacrifices I have made, because you couldn't! For this family. For our sons." she glares at him long and hard. "And YOU have the NERVE to show up here after almost fifteen years of where ever you were! to tell me you can't- no- you won't do this?!"

"I- It's not like I could help it! I didn't know how long I wa-"

She lets out a furious exclamation, "You couldn't help it? YOU COULDN'T HELP IT?! YOU LEFT! You didn't have to LEAVE!"

"I didn't mean t-"

"I don't CARE! I don't- I don't-" tears are now streaming down her face and she can't bare for him to see her this way, so undone, she was supposed to be the rock in their relationship. "Why? Why can't you do this? It's so- It's so easy, Goku! I don't ask for much! I really don't!" she stares into his dark eyes for a long time but gets no answers, "Is this something you decided while you were away?"

"No, I didn't mean- I decided it right now."

"You decided _right now_ , while- while I was- uhg! UHG!" she slams the bedroom door on her way out.

"Wait, no, that's not what I- Chi Chi-" he quickly snags the pair of sweatpants off the floor and throws them on before following her out into the hall.

They are standing in the kitchen a life time of problems between them,  "Chi..." his mouth closes and he stares at his wife's broken heart, open on display in every line of her face.

"What, was I not up to your standards?! Have you gotten better ones out in space from- from prostitutes? I should have known from how quickly you agreed that you-"

"Chi Chi-! I-" he stops short and stares at her trying to figure how he should respond to an accusation that _isn't that far from the truth..._

"Was there someone else? Is that why you always left? Is that... why you can't- why I'm not-"

 _'Never tell our wives.'_ A nagging voice flashes through his head and he bites back at it. _I... am done being controlled by Vegeta. Done trying to please him and his stupid conditions, all his annoying rules. None of that means anything now!_ Goku decided he could say what he wants to who he wants and if anyone deserved to know it was her; the mother of his two children, the woman who'd put up with, housed, and somehow managed to feed them. He wanted to tell her because it was the truth, it was right, and it was the biggest 'Fuck You' to Vegeta he could think of right now and _that_ , that also felt really good.

"Yes."  He says with a righteous confidence. The feeling was temporary because the hot cast iron pan, while it didn't hurt, certainly had a heavy thud as it slammed into the side of his face.

"You cheating bastard." Her voice is low and quiet, spilling with anger and he's impressed by the strength she managed. He was sure that if humans were capable of transformations, she would definitely be a super something right now.  "That's it then? You had some whore out there that you-? or was it whores? And Vegeta-! you two always- Was it his idea? To run around on your wives?"

"N-no, Chi Chi. He was- it was him. I was... with him." 

There is a long uncomfortable silence. "What?"

"I left... to be... with him." He says it slowly, each syllable lighter, sweeter than the last. He didn't realize how much that had weighed on him as she blinks at him with an open mouth, "I- I didn't always- the last time was different- we got into an argument... I didn't know how long I'd been gone, it was an accident. I just... wanted..." It's not like she was going to make him feel worse about it, he was pretty damn sure he couldn't feel worse about it after last night, so what was the point in lying anymore? He had loved every minute of it up until the end, every damn miserable one. It hurt more to pretend he didn't. He can't deny it, won't deny it, doesn't want to deny it, so with a quiet exhale he says it, "him." 

Her mouth drops, "You slept with Vegeta?"

"We didn't do a lot of sleep-" she slams the pan into him again hard enough to cut him off and put him off balance and he thinks he absolutely deserved that one.

"All those 'missions,' all your 'training,' every time you left- you-! You were-!" She screams as he lets her hit him with the pan one more time. He stops her when she tries to get him again on the back swing. She struggles to get the pan free from his grasp but he doesn't let go. He pulls it out of her hands and drops it on the floor and watches her completely break down in front of him. He wonders if this is how Vegeta felt watching him yesterday. 

"WITH HIM?!" She accuses poisonously, then her expression pleads softer, "He perverted you, that must be- he- it was him-" she was so desperate to cling to any shred of hope that she could have him. But he refused to let her. Not this time. 

"No, I don't think that's how it works, Chi Chi-" he says with irritation.

"And to think I let that- that freak near my son!" then it hits her, "Oh Kami, I let him 'train' my baby- I let him- I didn't know- How could he- he was just a boy and he- Now he's-"

"No, Chi Chi! that's not- Goten has nothing to do with this!" His brows crumple in confusion.

"How can you be sure-"

"I- I don't know! Because I was like this before I ever met Vegeta!" She closes her mouth and stares at him through watery eyes, "... even on our wedding night- I- I couldn't- It never felt right..." 

"I- I don't" she can barely form the words she is so upset, "If it isn't- It's not- Is it because you're Saiyan? Are all Saiyans depraved aliens who-"

He wanted so badly to roll his eyes and ignore whatever irritating thing she was going to say next, let her win, like he usually did when they argued. But he couldn't. He was tired of hearing his insecurities voiced by the people who hurt him most, "YES, Chi Chi!  All Saiyans are perverted! er- most of them! I don't know! It doesn't matter- I can't change it! But you know what?! I think I like it-!" 

She cuts him off with a scream, "You lying, cheating- Uhg!" she stutters trying to find the word,  "Monster!- How could you do this to me!?! Get! Out! GET OUT!" She yells at the top of her voice. "and THIS TIME, Don't YOU EVER COME BACK-" 

"I won't! I don't want to come back!" 

She shoves her hands against his chest but he doesn't budge, "Ahh! I-" Her voice breaks, "y-you tell that disgusting son of a bitch, Vegeta, if he ever comes near Goten-" she pauses to catch her breath, "either of my children- again, I'll find a way to kill him myself!"

He cocks his head because _why did she keep bringing up our son?_ Goku wasn't very good at puzzles, his mind rarely clicked things together that way but he was starting to get the feeling that she had just pointed out something important. And he figures, out of all the things that have come out of Goten's mouth, at least _that_ had been true.

In fact, the attention they both occasionally received on account of his son's apparent confidence with himself often left Goku feeling self conscious and at times inadequate. He was beginning to think it was no wonder his relationships with both Chi Chi and Vegeta were such disasters. He thinks, maybe Chi Chi had a point, maybe Goten knew something he didn't. About... well... everything.

He doesn't have much time to dwell on the thought because his wife picks up the frying pan and he has about four seconds to get out of the house before she forces him out with her iron will. He manages to stumble out the door before any serious damage befalls him but it's late and he has to decide between a clean get away and blasting off. He quickly searches out the very energy he had so many questions for. The only person who might understand what he had just done. 

He locates him in the middle of west city in an area he is unfamiliar with and hears another shatter of glass as he disappears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, i think chi chi is like? very early 50s? based on my awful timelines and math. just as a BTW. 
> 
> I'm sorry this took SO long. Lots of unexpected things came up this week; mostly good, but also mostly time consuming. 
> 
> TBH I... had debated a lot on putting this before the previous chapter but ultimately didn't want one break up right after the other so, i mean, i'm not saying the previous chapter is filler, there's important stuff in it, but, i've also been sitting on this for a while.
> 
> holy heck this is long tho, isn't it? Should I edit more or do ya'll like the long chapters with details and little thoughts? There were a lot of pieces to this i felt were unnecessary to the 'plot', but illustrated the characters better so I kept them in.... definitely open to feed back on that...


	29. Reassurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goten is a dick. As usual. T/W: Homophobic language, I guess?

He wasn't expecting to arrive in such a loud active place.He certainly didn't think his son would be drunk, though he's not particularly surprised either, and it makes him suddenly much less confident that Goten was really the best person to talk to about this, or at least, that this was the best time. He stammers through it because he didn't have much of a choice now, "I left... we- it wasn't going to work, with Chi Chi. We're not- I-"

"Let me just- Hold on-" Goten presses his hand to the wall to steady himself. "Let me make sure I'm understanding this. You... decided... it 'wasn't going to work' and left." He repeats slowly.

Goku's hand reaches back to rub his neck as he nods. Goten sways slightly and stares at his father unimpressed, or maybe irritated, Goku couldn't be sure.

"Did you... tell her why?"

"I- sort of." He thinks for a moment, "But I'm not sure... she understood. Or... Maybe she did? Because then... she brought you up and-"

"Of course she did." Goten rolls his eyes.

"I guess she also thought it was like, uh, a Saiyan thing." His father lets out a short uncomfortable chuckle.

"Ohh my god. Not the 'Saiyan thing' again." _Is that really how you've been internalizing this?_

Goku stares back at his son with a sheepish smile, not that this was the reaction he'd hoped for but it was a lot better than getting hit by a frying pan.

He watches Goten drag his palm slowly down his face, "Uhhhg, fuuck, you really told her, didn't you? Why? Why would you do that? Are you like, some kinda masochist? Is that your thing or something?" _Because after Vegeta-_

"No, I'm not- I don't know what that is. But I- it was... the right thing to do."

Goten stares at him with open incredulity, "the right thin-... Fuck- Was it though? Was that really the best way to- you couldn't have gone about this-? Your timing, dad. I- Fuuuck...." He lets his hand drop and shakes his head at his father who is just standing there looking past him at whatever it is behind his son he finds so interesting. "...Did you do this because you think it will make Vegeta come back to you?"

His father turns his attention sharpley back to his son at the mention of _his_ name. Goku’s face reddens and he doesn't say anything. Goten rests both hands on Goku's shoulders, "PLEASE don't tell me you did this to try and get him back- I swear- that would actually be-" he shakes him rougher than he means, "the worst possible-"

"No!" Goku says defensively, shrugging away his sons grip,"No, I left because I was unhappy. With her. I left… I left because..." There is a long silence between them and Goten catches an edge of desperation in the air. Then it suddenly hits him why his father was _here,_ in the middle of the night, after wrecking the only two relationships he's ever managed to have in less than 48 hours. He realizes his father was _here, now_ telling him this, probably before he told anyone else, because... _Oh goddamnit, he's looking for reassurance.  ...From me?!_ Then again, who else was there? _Gohan?_ He snorts.

Still, he felt stuck. This was a huge wrench in the wheel of lies he'd been spinning, but he couldn't very well tell his father to fuck off. Even Saiyans could only be pushed so far. If he said the wrong thing, Goku might do something rash, have a nervous break _. Or worse. He might run straight back to Vegeta.  
_

So, as inconvenient as it may have been, the cogs slowly turning in Goten's head begin to come to the conclusion that he could do nothing other than give his father that reassurance he was so desperately seeking. His shoulders slump and he tries to figure out how best to do that while keeping the situation contained, while absolutely wasted, while still not knowing anything about Vegeta’s reaction to anything that had happened in the last two days. _What if-_

"...do you think... he would?" The quiet utterance from his father breaks his train of thought.

"What?" Goten looks up in shock," Do I think he would what? Come back to you!? No, I don't- Dad, really?"

Goku looks away pretending he never asked to begin with and Goten is half tempted to turn and see what keeps distracting his father but instead let's out a long sigh, "Well.... you finally left your lie of a marriage so... congratulations? I guess?"

Goku doesn't quite breathe a sigh of relief, but he is a little less tense, "Yeah, thanks, it's- I feel better."

"That's... Great." Goten says with forced smile and then he has a crushing realization,"You... you don't have a place to stay do you?"

Goku shakes his head. "But that's ok. I don't mind the outdoo-"

Goten laughs, "No, dad, that's- no. Gohan might actually get back in touch with his Saiyan side if he finds out I let you sleep outside." ... _That house is about to feel a lot smaller_.

"Oh... Ok. Well, we don't... we don't have to go there right now." He inwardly worries his eldest son might not be quite as receptive to the news as his youngest.

"Yeah," he snorts, "Well, we're not staying here." He pulls his father with him as he walks away from the brick faced building with blacked out windows that weren't quite dark enough to keep a blue light from occasionally pulsing on their faces.

"Wait, but-" he pauses, pulls away from his son and looks back toward the building,

"It's- it's just a bar dad. Have you never been to a bar?"

He hums and then, "I have, but this place is different, isn't it? ...It looks kinda fu-"

"Nope. No. No. Noooo, no, no, no. No. We're definitely leaving. We're going to Gohan's. Now."

Goku hesitates before following his son and tries arguing with him even after they have already taken off into the sky.

"Dad! Just trust me! It's not your kind of place."

"You don't know that, I actually thought the music was-"

"Yes, I do know that and- why are you still arguing with me about this? Maybe _I_ didn't want to be there anymore, alright?" _Certainly not with you._

Goku doesn't say anything in response and looks away.

 _Oh my g- Is he fucking pouting?! Aren't you supposed to be the parent here?!_ "Kami, dad, I'm sure that finally coming out of the closet is just so fucking liberating all of the sudden but I'm also sure that the first thing you should NOT do after leaving your wife and getting dumped by your abusive boyfriend-"

"He wasn't my-"

"Fine, then your- your whatever he was to you!" he presses on with irritation, "the next step is still NOT go to a gay bar, pick up the first twink you see, and try to rebound like there's no tomorrow. Like, are YOU drunk?  Because, shit. That is just... wow. Astonishingly reckless. And that's coming from ME." He shakes his head.

"What's a twink?" Goku asks as they descend.

"Everything Vegeta... is not, let's- c'mon, let's go- and don't- don't fuckin’ say anything to Gohan about this, Ok? Just- we'll talk about it tomorrow. _Tomorrow,_ Ok?" He doesn’t bother looking back to see if his father agrees or not so he can focus on not letting his knees buckle under him as he lands. He staggers towards the door, nearly pushing his dad through the entry way, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care much about the racket they make. The noise draws his brother out of his room.

"Goten, it's almost midnight, please, for the love of- what are you- Dad?" Both their attentions shift to Gohan who is adjusting his glasses at the top of the stairs. "What are you doing here?"

"Ruining my night is what he's doing." Goten slurs quietly.

"Chi Chi... kicked me out..." Goku says with a nervous smile.

Goten stops in his tracks. _....He did not just-_ His face pales and the urge to wack his father in the back of the head before he says anything else burns through him. If it hadn't been for Gohan standing right there, he might have.

"She what?!"  Gohan quickly makes his way down the steps and with a worried look assesses his father's current state of undress, "She- what happened?"

"Yeah... I..." Goku's eyes are suddenly drawn to his youngest son who has quietly positioned himself behind his older brother, "It..." he squints trying to discern what Goten is mouthing because the hand gestures certainly didn't make any sense, "wasn't... working...? It wasn't working." He says confidently now looking back at Gohan.

Goten rolls his eyes and shakes his head silently then tries to look nonchalant when Gohan turns around to scowl at him. 

The oldest brother turns back towards their father, "Well, I'm sure you and mom can... figure this out... and-"

"We did figure it out. And I left."

Gohan stares at his father speechless for several moments. "W-well, that's- there's... counseling for... You left? or did she kick you out?"

"Both."

"I- ...why?"

“Because I'm-" he sees Goten quickly drawing his hand back and forth across his neck which does make him hesitate but still doesn’t shake his resolve that no one was going to tell him what he could and couldn't say anymore. Not Vegeta and especially not Goten. So, he just blurts it out and hopes for the best, "I'm gay."

Goten plops down on the steps and resigns his face to his palm.

"You're..." Gohan turns around slowly and raises one brow at his brother. "...gay?" Goten shrugs before nodding his head, "Dad..." he looks back at their father, "do you... know what that means?"

"Yes!" He says with a smile, "I like guys!"

Gohan cocks his head, not quite convinced his father _really_ understood. "But you... have kids."

"Gohan, that's not- Uhg." His little brother buries his head further into his hands.

"It's a valid.... concern."

"It's really not." The youngest mutters.

"I… I still love and care about you guys if that's what you mean."

Gohan frowns, "No... that was not what I meant. I-"

"Gohan!"

"What?!"

"He knows what the stupid word means. He's gay. Not just gay, but a huuuge faggot."

Gohan's jaw drop.

Goku looks between his sons opposing expressions, "...is that another word for it?"

"Yes.” Goten says before his brother has time to recover, “But you can't call other people faggot. Only yourself, dad."

"But you just called me that."

"Yeah. Because you are, but not everyone who's gay is a faggot. Like me, for example, I'm gay, but I'm not a faggot."

"Oh. What makes me a faggot?"

The youngest son opens his mouth with a smirk to respond but never gets the chance because Gohan is tired of being reasonable. He is tired of dealing with the fallout of his little brother's antics, tired of tolerating his constantly poisonous remarks about everyone. He is unable to stand there and watch his brother _make fun_ of their _father_ with a homophobic _slur_ while he is _trying to come out?!_ Like that already wasn’t shocking enough by itself, _but to make it even harder?! WHY on EARTH would YOU of ALL PEOPLE, DO THAT?!_ His voice suddenly explodes at a volume it hasn't found in nearly two decades.

"GOTEN!!! WHAT the FUCK is WRONG with you!?"

Goten had been trying his hardest not to laugh and had been doing a terrible job of it until his brother pulls him back to his feet by his shirt and makes it a lot easier. "What is your problem, Goten?!!"

It is at that moment, as he feels Gohan's ki flare, as he watches something dangerous flash across his eyes, that he sees for the first time, not his brother, not the quiet bookish university professor who had to show off to everyone his perfectly human life, but the Saiyan who defeated Cell. Gohan was _furious_ and Goten knew first hand what anger did to power. He knew it hurt. It hurt a lot.

After an uncomfortable glance toward his father who is just standing there, watching, _doing nothing useful,_ he realizes the gap between him and his brother may not have been big as he thought and with as inebriated as he was, that gap would not count for much, especially not if he was outnumbered.

Gohan lets go and Goten drops back to the stairs. "Leave."

His eyes widen, "What?"

"I said LEAVE!" Gohan steps toward his little brother and looks down at him, "Go outside or something! You are... unbelievable, Goten! Calling him that. Worse, telling him to say something like that about himself! What- ...what is wrong with you? Why… would you-"

Goten looks back at his father, who is still making no attempt to defend him and frowns. "Fine! Fine, I'll leave." He slams the door on his way out.  
  
  


Gohan lets out a heavy sigh and puts his hand on his father's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"...Probably shouldn't say that word... should I?"

Gohan shakes his head slowly, "No. No, you should not. Now, dad... in your own words, not his, why... are you here right now?"

  
  


Goten has his ear pressed to the door for several minutes, hoping, PRAYING, his father doesn't say something stupid. Their voices are quiet at first and he can't quite make it out what they're saying. He hears his brother say Vegeta's name and he backs off from the door unable to help the compulsion of running his fingers through his hair and pulling on the roots as he walks over to a window.

Gohan looks upset, pissed off. He's shaking his head and Goten smiles. _Should have saved him the trouble and let him sleep outside. He'll probably be joining me out here in a few minutes_ . _Gohan doesn’t understand. He’s never understood._ Instead, he watches Gohan's mouth move. For a long time. Goten can't figure out what he's saying, and then... He hugs him. Gohan _hugged_ their father.

"What?"  He presses his palms to the window pane.

After several moments Gohan lets go. Their father smiles sadly and so does Gohan. Goku walks upstairs but his son does not. He looks down at the floor and then directly out the window Goten is standing behind. He can see the anger seething inside his little brother. It is clearly illuminated by the light from inside. Gohan frowns and motions for him to come inside.

Goten backs away out of the light, his hands forming fists, his nostrils flaring and he blasts off instead. Furious that his father _so easily_ got the support and reassurance Goten had NEVER felt from his brother.

  


He flies straight back to the bar he had been at earlier that evening radiating toxicity. Everyone gives him room as he searches quickly for the man who had almost been so unlucky, but doesn't find him. He looks for the next best thing and even though the next best thing was already talking to someone he sits down next to him.

He taps on his shoulder and the next best thing turns around with an annoyed look on his face. "What?"

Goten smiles confidently and waits for the man to come to his senses. He doesn't so Goten makes it explicit, "What do you think? I'm interested."

The man raises his brow, "Ookay, well, I'm not. So, how about you move along." He doesn't even turn back around fully before he feels Goten's hand on his thigh.

"I'm pretty sure you're interested." He says darkly, very close to the back of the man's neck.

He tries to pull Goten's hand away. "No! I'm really not! Hey, Bartender!" Goten let's go and turns the man's head to face his own, "If that is your standard," He points rudely at the man's thin pock faced date. "Then you should consider yourself lucky I even noticed you."

He lets out a disgusted noise and tries to pull his face away from Gotens hand, "Get over yourself. You're not my type, gym rat."

"I'm _everyone's_ type."

He scoffs, "Well, I'm not _everyone_. Hey, Bartender!" he tries to wave down the overworked tattooed blonde behind the bar, "bartender, this asshole's bothering me!"

The bartender looks at Goten, "You fuckin' botherin' him?"

"No. I'm not."

The bartender raises an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? Well, you're botherin' me, haven't ordered a damn thing and already you're causin' a fuckin' scene."

Goten rolls his eyes.

The blonde puts both hands on his hips and tilts his head, "Oooh, an attitude." he smirks at Goten, "Then how about I get you a tall glass of 'get the fuck out' or, no, maybe you want to jump right to it and get a pint of 'throw you out.' On the house of course."

Goten sneers, "how about a bottle of whatever-the-fuck-I-want, you weak useless human." He reaches behind the bar despite a serious attempt by the blonde to physically stop him, there is loud shattering of glass. Suddenly everyone's eyes are on him. He curses and pulls back, "Don't wanna fuckin' be here anyway!" 

The wasteland is quiet and empty as he begins firing blasts out into the open. He doesn't even understand why he's so angry. Though he thinks, that might have been the first time he'd ever been rejected and overall he is not happy with the turn this evening, which had been going so well, suddenly took thanks to his impulsive idiot father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Low key, big shout out to OP Gohan who was always magically the strongest whenever shit hit the fan in the show. Not quite what happened here, but he made some strides in learning how to stand up for those who need it, eh?
> 
> I've had a lot of regrets so far with how I've characterized him. Ultimately, that has panned out into Gohan having regrets too. Doesn't want to make the same mistakes with his father, that he made with his little brother. smh. This family.


	30. Wholesome Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another great sibling bonding moment for Gohan and Goten, then, Trunks and 'Ten have a total ball.

Thundering rain pouring down on his face wakes him up. He is caked in mud and tracks in a small river when he arrives back at Gohan's. He can't sense his father's Ki anywhere nearby and his brother is just sitting there in the kitchen, drinking coffee, reading something on his phone, before going off to his normal job like a normal human, _ Like everything's just fuckin' great! Isn’t it? Because you’re the perfect son and one hell of a brother! Aren’t you? Nothing is wrong in YOUR life.  
_

As Goten walks by the kitchen the elder brother looks up, sighs and puts down his phone. "Got-"

"Don't! Don't say anything. I really  _ really  _ don't want to hear," Goten turns to face him, “for the thousandth time, how much of a disappointment I am to you." 

"That's not-"

"And before you power up, all self righteous and pissed off, let it be known that I'm sober, I won’t hesitate and you will lose." 

“Self right- what?! Are you still drunk?!" Goten stares wordlessly at his brother who is now adjusting his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose. "Do you really not understand why I was so upset with you last night?" _Kami, ‘Ten, how do I reach you?_ _ Without violence?  _ "Goten..." he sighs, "Yes, dad _ obviously  _ made some mistakes and, yes, like you, I'm angry with him. I am beyond hurt that he lied to us for  _ years _ , that he left us time and time again apparently to pursue some kind of affair with-!" he stops short of saying something he still didn't believe, " ...Which, seems to have gone about as well as anyone could have guessed, but-"  He searches his brother's face for any shred of the half-humanity that was supposed to reside there, "He’s still our father, Goten! You should be there for him! not... torment him! …He came to you first, ‘Ten, you must understand at least  _ why _ he views you as someone he can trust and talk to about-”

He silences his brother with a gesture, “Talk to.” He rolls his eyes, “Right. Do you know- Gohan, do you know where I was when he decided to appear all fucking magically, like he does, with his ‘exciting news?’” Gohan shakes his head, “I was at a bar. A fuckin’ gay bar and- Oh, don’t worry, it gets better.” Goten wipes away mud that was dripping down from his hairline towards his eyes with a smirk, "He didn't want to leave. It was an  _ effort _ to convince him to come here. In fact, he was never convinced. He argued with me the whole way home about why we should have stayed.”

Gohan's eyes widen, "Really?"

"Yes. Really. So, I’m sure, talking, to _me_ anyway, wasn’t high on his list of priorities after about five minutes there. Besides, what were we going to talk to about? His shitty life decisions-"

"I’m sure that wouldn’t have been the worst idea." 

"-and advice on how to pick up guys?” His face scrunches with irritation, "Yes! It would have been the worst idea! I was not about to sit there and let our _FATHER,_ Gohan, get drunk and start crying about- his ex or- or whatever-” _On that note, are you just going to brush the whole Vegeta mess under the rug? Did he even tell you?_ “-in a public place, making a scene, before inevitably trying to hook up with the first stranger who caught his eye! Because despite evidence to the contrary, I do understand! I understand that he’s just gone through a lot in the last couple days and is incredibly prone to bad decisions right now! Example fucking A, he was going to sleep outside before I brought him here. Outside, Gohan.”

“And with you being the local expert in bad decisions," He says with a gesture to his little brother's clothes unimpressed by his argument so far, "I'm sure convincing him to use a homophobic slur as a self descriptor was just another helpful addition to your resume of destructive relationships, wasn't it? I mean, honestly, 'Ten! I cannot fathom why YOU of all people would do something like that-”

“‘Me of all people’” he mocks his brother, “Because- uhg- whatever, I had a shitty night, it doesn't matter. I'm sure I'll find a way to… apologize or... something... where…” He shifts his eyes upwards and his nose follows aimed at not quite the center of the ceiling. His father's energy is low, calm, and very,  _ very _ high up. "Why’s he... where…?" Goten’s tilts his head in a curious fashion.

Gohan hesitantly let's the subject drop and crosses his arms, “You don’t know where he is?”

“I do. But, not… Is he on a mountain? What mo-"

“No... he's... on Kami's lookout."

"Oh. Really? I didn’t know it was that high up. Why is he there? Is he using that stupid time room?"

"No, he’s- Wait, you’ve never been there?"

"No."

“I’m sure I took you there when you were little…” But he can’t recall a time, “Kami's lookout is more than just the room of spirit and time... it's…” Gohan tilts his head from side to side for moment trying to work out how to describe Dende’s home, “It's a place where he can seek guidance and meditate without interruption… Maybe you should find somewhere you can do the same."

Goten scoffs. "I don't meditate."

"Regardless, I'm sure you both could use a break from training right now... I don't know what else you've been doing but whatever it is has exhausted you, 'Ten. You look... " He frowns.  _ Like you're coming apart. _

"Fan-fucking-tastic, I know." He lolls his head back letting more muddy rain drip on to the floor, "When did he go? This morning?" 

"Yes. I imagine he has a lot to think about right now… He might not be back for a while.” 

“Hm.” _Meditating in the sky, huh? Maybe that's a good place for him. Away from everyone, out of my fuckin' way at least._ _ Might be my chance to finally get to Vegeta. _ Goten's stomach suddenly flips at the stark feeling of rejection still rolling through him from last night.  _ First things first…  _ “I need a fucking shower." He says with a shiver. Slopping, wet footprints follow him as he resigns himself to the only warmth he’s been able to feel lately. 

"Wait, Goten..."

"What?" Goten stops halfway up the stairs and looks back at his brother.

"...You knew... didn't you? Before last night?"

He debates his answer for a moment. "Yes... You might have figured it out earlier too if you ever paid any attention to him.” 

Before Gohan can get another question out, his little brother has already disappeared into the steaming waters of a shower. Goten stays there until his brother leaves for work so he can avoid anymore needling questions he might have. He stays there for the remainder of the morning to wash away the sick feeling from last night that keeps bubbling up in his chest. He stays there until he feels Trunks nearing the house.  _ He better be coming here for Pan. _

He was not there for Pan.

 

\------------------

 

 

Goten rolls his eyes as he steps out of the shower and finds Trunks already in his room yammering something about ‘the best adventure we’ll have yet.’ “What?”

“Amsterdam! Amsterdam, 'Ten! It's the new thing, we have to go! There's like- there's this festival going on right now and everything!” Trunks wasn't actually sure if there was a festival, or much of anything in Amsterdam besides the vague promise of a drug addled good time, but it the best thing he could come up with. It was a default activity; getting fucked up. Goten wouldn’t question it and Trunks was sure he’d get his best friend to agree.

He still wasn't convinced Goten was jealous of their fathers'  _ rivalry _ per say; that his adopted brother was feeling displaced now that Goku was back... but his sister was insistent and he didn't have a better working theory so, here he was, distracting the youngest Son, so his sister could get to the other who, they both agreed, between the two they suspected responsible for their father’s recent surge in self destruction was the easier target for information.

A pair of black jeans hit Goten, who is still in a towel, in the face, “I don't wanna go out. ...Let’s... go to your place.”  _ Because I REALLY need to figure out what the fuck is going on with Vegeta. What has he been DOING this whole time? Obviously not actively trying to kill me.. that’s a good sign! Right? _

“Oh, c’mon, Ten. Let me make it up to you. Let’s go out, someplace fun and loud and expensive. I’ll cover everything- We always have fun when we go out.” He grins widely letting those big blue eyes of his really shine because he knows when he pulls his pretty boy face, it’s harder for Goten to deny him. 

“Make what up to me?” Goten says already sulking over what he knows will inevitably be coerced into doing when he really had more important things to attend to. 

“For… for our argument. I wanted to apologize.”

“You want… to... wait what?” He pulls on the pair of jeans Trunks had thrown at him and casts him a confused look.  


Trunks has disappeared into his closet again and is now rooting through his clothes. He pokes his head out to respond, “Yeah. I wanted to say sorry, you know, for punching you in the face? I felt bad..."  _ Well, not that bad. They were weak hits and I'm pretty sure you deserved them. _ "Look, it's OK. You don't have to tell me everything. I know that's not how you do things.”  _ But still, I would appreciate a little honesty every now and then. It’d be a lot easier if YOU told me what was going on instead of having to go through your father because, no offense, he seems kinda stupid.   _   


Goten nods his head trying to process what he just said as Trunks picks a bright colored shirt. “You... don't have to do th- no, that one’s too tight.”

Trunks looks at it with a smirk, “So, definitely this one?”

"No, Trunks, really, I already- last night was- I’d rather just go to Cap-”

“Last night? Who cares about last night?! I’m talking about today! We  _ have  _ to go out. I’ve been trying to escape that helldome for weeks! C’mon, ‘Ten, I finally have a day off, tear up the town with me.”

_ Yes, but you have the day off on  _ _ The One Day _ _ my idiot father chose to be inaccessible to everyone and I finally had an edge on Vegeta _ ,  _ FUCK! _ “I really really don’t want to go out, Trunks, you have the better game system and-”

Trunks still has a wild card though and his smile broadens as he uses it, “But, ‘Ten, my sister is home. And you  _ know  _ how she gets when she sees you. We won’t get in one good game.”

Goten opens his mouth to respond. He wasn’t worried about Bra these days, but Trunks didn’t know that and Goten had already set off enough alarms last time he went over. He needed to start keeping up appearances, not making them worse.  _ Shit. Why isn’t she back at school? _ He is forced to concede. Vegeta would just have to wait.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The first bar Trunks pushes Goten into is over saturated with hot beautiful people and before they have found a place to sit down, Trunks has somehow already procured a bottle and pressed it forcefully to Goten's mouth. “Drink! It’s on me! Everything is on me!”   


Goten pulls the bottle away with a choke, wipes his mouth and gives Trunks a look, but his best friend just keeps laughing and joking. Goten can't help but follow suit and comply. Before he's done, Trunks hands him another. And another. And another. Before long everything is a blur of lights and smoke and hot heavy music. He's not very aware of where he is most of the time but he's OK with that because at least Trunks seems to be and has him by the wrist, confidently leading him between clubs and crowds and smoke shops and all kinds of things Goten wished his best friend would slow down enough to let him look at.

 

 

When Goten comes to the first time, it has barely been an hour and the most beautiful man he's ever seen is dancing against him. He remembers looking down at his hand at a thick wad of cash that Trunks must have provided because otherwise he had no idea where it could have come from. He remembers looking over at Trunks and noticing that he was sitting alone staring at his phone, no beautiful girl, no club slut, no drink, no nothing but him and his phone. He opens his mouth to say something to his friend, but he doesn’t remember what.

When he comes to the second time he is staring down at a glass of bright green liquid. He can hear someone distantly asking if he's ok. He remembers looking up at a ripped, dark haired but effeminate stranger and thinking they looked...  _ concerned? _ He remembers them saying, "You sure you trust that friend of yours?" Goten nods with a smile and this time he remembers what he said. It was something along the lines of, "I trust him with my life." He also remembers trying to lean in for more than conversation only to be rejected because, 'Honey, no. You are way too fucked up.' The last thing Goten saw after that was the last of the green drink all over the table and shards of glass between his fingers.

The third and final time he comes to he is in the middle of throwing up in an alleyway and Trunks is leaning against the wall next to him. 

“We’re definitely not allowed in the last place ever again.”

“Huh?” Goten struggles to get any sound out of his body other than heaving.

“Well, you're definitely not. ...I didn't even know we could do that with our ki.” 

"What’d I do?" Goten is suddenly aware that he is shirtless, there is some bright glowing paint or something mixed together all over his torso and in his hair from when a blacked out Goten had mistakenly let some tall handsome man run their hands through it. 

“I’m not really sure, but it was colorful, awesome and everyone loved it. If you can learn how to do it without nearly burning everything down, you should teach it to me, because it was… really fucking cool.” He smiles genuinely. 

Goten nods weakly before throwing up another liter of burning alcoholic bile. “Mmm… fuck.”

“You good?” 

“Yeah…” He stumbles out towards the street, “I wanna- Let’s… go. Thiss… this- I'm tooo- This wasn’t fun….  Why’d ya do this to me?” He asks only half kidding.

“What? Not fun? Just because you don’t remember doesn’t mean you weren’t having a  _ literal  _ blast. And why do you think? Because you’re my friend and you needed it. And I needed it. Besides, when was the last time it was just me and you against the world?” He slings his arm around Goten’s shoulders and the younger almost falls over.

“I don’t know… ”

“Too long, was the right answer, ‘Ten, too long." he pulls out his phone, looks at the time and quickly rereads through his messages before letting out a sigh. "But, since you can’t fuckin’ hang, If you REALLY want to, I guess we'll go home. And here I was mistakenly thinking you could out party me any day of the week."  _ If we go into one more place that serves alcohol-  _ Trunks visibly shudders.  _ Thank fuckin’ Kami he wants to leave, I almost didn’t fucking make it.  _ The urge to get where Goten was had been slowly eating at him throughout the afternoon until he'd begun feeding Goten alcohol every time he wanted a drink himself as way to get vicarious satisfaction. It had gotten them both nowhere good something fast and he was regretting it. Not only did it make him feel worse, but it made Goten extremely difficult to control. They were incredibly lucky no one was hurt with his last stunt, _even though it did look fucking cool._  


"I’m pretty sure… I still can…” Goten's head drops towards the floor and the rest of his body has to fight to not follow, "you’re sober aren’t you? you can't lie to me... Is it ‘cause you have a drinking problem now?” 

“I- no.” Trunks responds sharply.

“Saaiiyans with drinking problemss… saiyaaans with angerr problemss… saaaiyans with disappeaarring problemss… fuck, even Saaiiyans with eye problemss… all Saiyans have fuckin’ problemmss and I’m the oonnly one who admitss it.” he slurs with unintentional honesty before tripping over his own feet.

“Oh yeah? What’s your problem?” Trunks asks hoping maybe Goten might finally open up.  


“ _ I  _ have  _ fucking  _ problems.” He grins despite slipping into unconsciousness.

Trunks catches him without responding and carries him home feeling like the worst friend in the world. He hoped it had at least been worth it, that his sister had gotten something useful out of today, because all he’d gotten was an afternoon full of regrets about what he'd gone and done to someone who trusted him implicitly, like a brother. He tries to reason that it's justified. He had to figure out what was going on with his father somehow and 'Ten wasn't going to tell him. But he decides he would genuinely have to make it up to Goten. Assuming everything was ok. Although, next time, he thinks, he wouldn’t force his friend to drink so much he couldn’t stand or badger him to go somewhere they both didn’t want to be.  _ Maybe we could do something wholesome for once. _ He smiles.  _ Once everything’s back to normal…  _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short ch. There was a lot edited out here. Kinda wanted a Trunks/Pan scene. But... that's not really the point of this fic and I thought it was a little too complicated to make it worth something. Kinda wanted more brother conversation too but the additions kept devolving in to arguments I didn't want to take place. Anyway. The ending is beginning to weave together nicely. I haven't written it out completely yet. But in my head, it's there and it's nice.
> 
> I like this ch. 'cause it shows how easily Goten can be manipulated. The trickster is easily tricked, eh?


	31. Ice Cream Social

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bra has a nice chat with her new gay best friend.

Bra is trying her best to push her brother towards the door, but he is resisting.

“Why can’t I come with you? If Goku knows something, I want to be there too!”

“Trunks!” she huffs, “Don’t be stupid! You think ‘Ten wouldn’t find some weird convenient reason to show up and interfere? You have another job to do.”

He grimaces, “Why would he show up? He’s not- I don’t buy this theory of yours! It’s ridiculous!”

“Well, you don’t have a better one so, until you do we’re going to handle it my way!”

He sighs, “Fuuck, whatever, I’ll go just- keep me updated, ok?”

“Yes, yes, all the updates.” She opens the door and starts shooing him out, “And you do the same. Maybe Captain Trainwreck will finally open up while he _hopefully_ gets more wasted than you do.”

“Shut- I’m not-” He rolls his eyes and halts in the doorway, “And just because he’s all fucked up over his dad being back… it doesn’t make what we’re doing ok.”

“Well, it’s too late to be having second thoughts, you saw our father. Now, get out there and... pretend to have fun, ok, big bro?” she finally succeeds in shoving him out of the compound and shutting the door on his moping face.

 

She leans against a wall and blows air up into her bangs before smiling a very Vegeta smile and quickly making her way to Trunks’ office which she methodically begins ransacking. She starts with his desk and then systematically works her way through each filing cabinet. She checks every draw, under ever paper, in every possible hidden compartment, but the only contraband she finds are a few flasks of what smells like tequila, _Gross, is that really your poison of choice?_ and what she suspects to be a pair of Pan’s underwear, misplaced and long forgotten. _They’ve probably done it all over this office, eewww, I’m going to shower in disinfectant after this!_

Finally, in a locked safe she smashed open, underneath a pile of financial documents confirming her suspicions that Capsule Corp. was in fact in Trunks’ very capable hands regardless of his flaws, she finds it. A silver metal band untouched. _Thank god you do not have the resources to destroy this._

She briefly confirms her father is still sleeping (16 hours and counting) before heading out with two five gallon ice cream containers toward an energy located somewhere unfamiliar and very _very_ high up. _Where the- is he on a mountain!?_

 

\--------

  


She’s been standing right behind him for almost twenty minutes and it’s starting to bother him because she keeps making annoying repetitive noises to draw his attention like she expects something from him. It’s starting to bother him because it is Vegeta’s _daughter_ and not Vegeta. _Not that I_ want _to see him right now or anything..._

He was trying to stay focused on the ball of light in his mind that represents wholeness. He was trying, at his son's recommendation, to take a moment away from everyone to figure out what his next step was. He was trying to clear his head before using the room of spirit and time to close the gap in power between him and Vegeta he was forced to come to terms with in the worst way. He was trying but now _she_ was here and _why is she here?!_

He doesn't open his eyes or shift from his seated posture, “Can I help you?”

She sighs loudly, “Obviously, Goku or I wouldn't be here. I even brought a peace offering so you know my intentions are good.” He hears her walk in front of him and drop two drums of something at his feet.

He finally looks up at her curiously and sees that she did in fact bring something of interest, but he resists. “What can I help you with?”

“My father.”

He frowns and tries to resume meditating. Bra, immediately slighted by the gesture, leans into his face with narrowed eyes, “Alright, look, I gave you a chance the other day to ‘make it right’ and now, he’s _worse_. So, you better tell me what the hell did you do to fuck it up-”

“ _I_ didn’t do anything!" He snaps rudely before averting his gaze from the intensity of her glare.

 _Touchy, touchy… What is with you?_ She crosses her arms, steps back to give him a little room and decides to take a different approach. “Goku, can I ask you a personal question?” He looks like he’s about to say no so she continues before he can, “Just out of curiosity, how long has your, Uh, for lack of a better word, _affair_ with my father been going on?”

His eyes lock onto hers with defensive intent _._ His expression softens though when he decides it really doesn’t matter what he tells anyone anymore. He had nothing to lose _._ “...Since … a year after Cell? I don’t think Goten was talking yet. But we stopped when...Bul- ...when your mother got sick.” he says quietly. “So… seven or eight years? I’m… not sure. I didn’t keep track.”

Her mouth pops open. She had been expecting a lot of things. Things like denial, silence, regret, lies, really _anything_ other than the blatant truth and _What?! Years?! YEARS?!_ “Wooooooww! I suspected it had been- but I didn't think- Oook” She can’t help throwing in a painful quip, “At least you had the decency to give my mother her last few months with him.”

“I- ...” He looks down sadly, “I think it... hurt her a lot when she found out. We weren't friends afterwards.”

“I imagine not and under normal circumstances I’m sure I’d take her side, but she’s not here anymore. You are. So, how about you help me help my father before I lose him too.”

“I already told you,” Goku shifts his seated position counter clockwise away from her. “I can’t hel-”

“Goku!” She turns his head to face her, “You are mistaken if you think I’m asking!” Her ki flares and frizzes her hair. “I’m trying to be _nice_ ,” she kicks one of the ice cream containers, “because I _promised_ my brother. But I swear-” She lets go of him and Goku watches her pace back and forth, “if you don’t tell me what the fuck is going on between you two, that is making him try to fucking kill himself, Kami over there” she points to Dende who is some distance away tending to some strange looking plants, “better fucking help you, because I’m about to lose my m-”

“That’s Dende, not Kami.” He remarks snidely wishing she would just leave him alone.

“GOKU! YOU FUCKING IMBECI-”

“WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT!?” He suddenly shouts over her and she has to admit, she’s secretly impressed. She held the record for volume in the Brief household and this soft spoken push over had easily out matched her. She stops and lets her hands drop back to her sides trying to get a better read on him before doing something rash.

“There’s- there’s nothing to tell you! ...Sorry- I’m sorry…” he shakes his head barely recomposed, “but there’s nothing to tell you. It’s over. He doesn’t want… my help.”

“Wh- Of course he does!” _He_ _kissed_ _you_ _in the gravity chamber!_ “What do you mean ‘it’s over?’ What the hell did you do?! You were supposed to make-up not break-up!”

He breaks posture and runs one of his hands through his wild spikes of hair, “I know! I tried! I tried really hard! But according to him-” his voice breaks off.

“According to him what?” She prods carefully.

“According to him I’m not ‘worthy’ of even being a sparring partner for the Prince of-” he looks at Vegeta’s daughter and momentarily hesitates, “Prince of jerks.” He mocks sharply before trying to resume a steady seated posture. “Please... leave me alone.”

“...What? Sparring partner…?” _That’s your kryptonite? Why am I not surprised?_

“...It was more than that.” He says softly with closed eyes, “It’s always more than that with Vegeta.”

She sighs, “I’m sure it is. But that’s why I’m here. To figure out why this is happening. He is hurting as much as you are and and I need your help getting to the bot-”

His face twists in disagreement, “He’s not-”

“You saw him in the chamber, Goku! He is! Fuck! Before we continue this, do you even want him back?”

“That’s a stupid question.”

She clicks her tongue, “Great, complicated runs in the Son blood. Have you even _tried_ talking to him since your fight or whatever?”

“No. I left my phone at Chi Chi’s.”

“In person, dummy.”

“No.”

“Oh c’mmoooon, Goku, that is _not_ how you handle a breakup. What are you _doing?_ Sulking?” he cracks his eye open at her, _“_ Noo, you should be calling non stop, showing up at his house, forcing him to talk to you. How else are you supposed to make him regret his decision?”

His brows arch with uncertainty over whether or not she’s joking, “I don’t think that’s... good advice.”

“Maybe so, but it’s highly effective in my experience. Psycho Ex rule number one: Never let _him_ leave _you_.”

“...I like my way better.”

“Oh, what, the method where you don’t speak at all? Where you do fucking nothing and stay broken up? No, Goku, that’s not what you do! Not when you want someone!”

“Yeah, well, I’m not the one you need to convince.”

She purses her lips and crosses her arms, “No, apparently not. But my father’s not exactly the most approachable person in the world, Mr. I-Already-Know-That-Because-I-Only-Talk-To-My-Boyfriend-When-Shit-Is-Absolutely-Already-Fucked-Up-Beyond-All-Repair.”

He rolls his eyes and gives up on meditating to lean back on his hands, “He doesn't- I can’t- It’s over. I don’t know what you want from me!”

She sits down next to him. “Oh, Goku, I just wish you could see him right now.”

“I don't need to. I can feel him. He's... sleeping.” Goku looks off in the direction of CC, “Like nothing’s wrong.”

“Really?” she asks snidely, “Like nothing’s wrong? In the middle of the day? For… however the fuck long he’s been out?” Goku stays focused on that area with a frown, “What timeline did you come from where my father ever does that?”

Finally she sees the concern she knew was there all along cross his face, “Then why would he… No. No, it's his fault. He doesn’t-” he's lets out a frustrated huff. “Please go away. I don’t want to talk about this with _you._ ”

She flops onto the cool sterile tile with her head in her palms and looks at him. “Goku… don’t be like that. He probably didn’t mean it. We all know how stubborn my father can be.”

“It wasn’t like that this time.”

She frowns, “How can you be sure?”

“I don’t need to prove or tell you anything.”

“What if he regrets what he said?”

“Then it was his mistake to say it.”  He closes his eyes and resumes meditating. “And _he_ has to fix it.”

“Uhg, fine. You're the silent heartbreak type. We won't talk about the asshole who dumped you.” _Maybe at least I can figure out what the other idiot has to do with this,_ “...But what about Goten?”

“What about him?” _Why does everyone think he has something to do with this?”_

“He's kind of an asshole too, isn't he?” She says with a smirk.

He glances at her with annoyance, “He's my son, Bra and I would appreciate it if you didn't say things like that.”

“But isn't he?” She begins kicking her feet back and forth.

“He’s… I wasn’t a very good dad.”

“Aw, well at least one of you can admit your faults.” She smiles reassuringly at him.

“It’s… not his fault and... I’m trying to be a good dad now, but...” He looks out into the clouds. “He knows a lot more than me and says a lot of things I don’t understand so, sometimes, most of the time, I just don’t know… what to do with him.”

Her feet pause and she cocks her head, “...What kind of things does Goten say to you?”

“… I don't know.”

“Oh, c’mon, Goku!” her feet resume their whimsical back and forth, “I know you're not stupid. What could ‘ten-’ten possibly tell you that you didn't understand?” She pushes one of the ice cream containers at him and he hesitantly accepts it.

“...Vegeta always called me stupid.” He says before digging a spoon into the softening ice cream.

She snorts, “Well, after eight years together hopefully you know better than to believe everything he says. I love my father, he spoiled me like the princess I obviously am, but even I know what a compulsive jackass he can be. Now spill. What does Goten say that has you all wrapped up?”

Goku laughs with the spoon in his mouth, “If I tell you what he said, will you… tell me what it means?"

She smirks, “Of course! I'll certainly try my very best to explain the great mysteries of Goten.”

“Ok, well... it’s… just words mostly. Like, he said he has… a gaydar? That Vegeta set off his gaydar? And I wasn’t sure… what that was supposed to mean.”

“He said _my father_ set off his gaydar?” Goku nods at her. _Hm. well, I guess he wasn’t wrong..._ “You know what radar is?”

“Yes… Oooh!”

“That’s right, you guessed it!” she says just shy of being condescending, “Gaydar is an internal _radar_ for detecting the _gay_ in other people. Some people have it, some people don’t.”

“Do I have one? Is it like sensing Ki?”

“What? No, I... don’t think it’s like sensing ki.”

He furrows his brow, “Then how does it work? How do I know if I have one?”

“Goku, it’s not… it’s not a literal radar. There are… other indicators you look for that tell you if- …it has more to do with paying attention to how someone dresses and walks and talks. Sometimes you can look at a guy and just know. Others, like your son, require you to be more observant. ...Got it?”

He arches his brow in thought, “Yeah, I think so. ...Do I make it obvious?”

She clicks her tongue with a smile, “It might shock you to learn that being married with two kids has a tendency to throw people off.”

He laughs awkwardly, “Oh. Yeah… I guess it… threw me off too.”

“That’s- yeah, your gaydar needs a little work but that’s ok. What else has Goten told you?”

“Uh… well, last night he asked me if I was a… a mass-a-kiss?”

“...A masochist?” _Why on earth would your son ask something like that?_

“That's what I said.”

“Yeah, no it wasn’t. That's someone... who likes pain.”

His face twists with confusion, “Well, I really like fighting. And that hurts a lot-”

“No-no, not like fighting- Uhg-” She shakes her head, “A masochist likes pain during _sex._ Makes the experience… I don’t know… more _intense_. It’s a _turn on_.” He stares blankly at her and she mistakes his unfocused look for misunderstanding. She doesn’t realize he’s simply trying very hard to repress the urge to blurt out,

“During- But that is like fighting!”

She looks at him slightly bewildered, “What?”

“Yeah, because-” He pauses unsure if it would be appropriate to admit that even though it hurts more when they fight in Super Saiyan he liked it because it _is_ more _intense._ It made it hurt even _better._ And that is exactly the same reason he always let Vegeta go Super Saiyan when they- “...Nevermind.” He looks away in embarrassment.

She then watches him subconsciously reach his hand behind his head to rub his neck with a blush _OH my god. Is that a nervous twitch!? That is SOO cute!_ and quickly realizes he has not misunderstood at all. “Well, I’m sure you really compliment my father in that regard.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing. I’m enjoying this little talk is all. What else don’t you know?” She twists a finger through her hair with a smirk.

“Oh… uh... Twink?”

She laughs and turns over on her back, “That’s a good one. A twink is a guy who uh, hm.. you might want to look this one up on your phone when you get it back. Usually they're like… young and slim and blond, no body hair. It’s a certain look. …but most importantly they, shall we say, always... ‘receive?’”

He thinks about her explanation for a few moments before finally asking “Receive what?” with a cheeky grin.

“Oh, you think you’re real cute, don’t you, naive nature boy.” She says looking at him upside down thinking maybe it’s not so surprising this adorable fool passed her father’s ludicrously harsh character judgements.

Goku laughs, “Ha, yeah, he’s right though, that's definitely not Vegeta. Even if he is blonde sometimes.”

“Is that... so…?” _And how would your son know that?_   “Is there anything else?”

“I’m sure there’s more, but I don’t remember them all. ...Oh, wait. What makes someone a faggot?”

“A WHAT?” she flips back over with a loud slap of her forearms and palms against the sterile laminate, “Where did you hear that?!”

“...Goten…”

“OHHHHHohmygod. You did not!”

Goku nods, “Gohan got really mad at him for saying it, so, I know that it’s… not… not a nice thing to say, but… I want to know why Goten isn’t but I am.”

“He said you- WOOW, I can’t BELIEVE- I mean, I can, but still! Talk about self loathing.” She shakes her head and looks him with pity, “Oh, Goku… It doesn’t… it doesn't mean anything, it’s just a- ...Wait. Does Gohan know… about all this too?”

“Yes. Mostly.”

She pauses before asking, “And… your… wife?”

“I left her. ...Yesterday.”

“Oh, you did?” her eyes widen and she smiles, _How about those ‘family values,’ ‘Ten? Bet your life is going swimmingly right now since those are just… SO important to your well being._

“Yeah. She… didn’t take it very well.”

“How unfortunate...” She says fighting back the smile pulling at the edges of her mouth with a spoonful of ice cream. “How did your son take the news? Hardly better than she did I imagine.” she adds sarcastically.

“Gohan? He said that-”

“No.” she waves her spoon at him, “Not- I don’t care about Gohan, he’s a pretentious snob. Goten. Tell me what Goten said.”

“Oh… well…”

“Goku, you’ve brought this up with him, haven’t you?” Goku nods hesitantly “Yeah, I know you have. Did he not…. give you any kind of advice or… or anything?”

“Uh, we only really talked about it once. But he did give me advice. It was to, ‘stay away from Vegeta, because he’s using me.’ ...The rest of the time I think he was just making fun of me and I’m not really sure… why…”

“Using you…?” _The more you tell me Goku, the worse this is looking for you._ She tilts her head while she watches Goku fidget with the spoon in his hand, “Don’t get yourself too down about what he says. He probably just makes fun of you because he hates you. Like he hates everyone.” She says matter of factly.

He looks up at her confused, “He doesn’t... hate me.”

 _Ok, maybe I am overestimating him a bit, “_ What?”

“He’s… Not very nice, but I don’t think-”

Bra lets out a bark of laughter “Oh, oh my god. You can’t be serious. Do you believe everyone is good deep down or something?”

“Yes, of course.”

She throws her head back with another laugh, “HA! I see why my father likes you so much. You’re just a ray of fucking sunshine, aren’t you? ” She sighs, “I hate to break it to you, but Goten? Not exactly your number one fan. Enemy number one more like.”

“He…” Goku shifts uncomfortably, “But we train together all the the time.”

She deadpans at him, “He also nearly _killed_ you during your ‘training.’”

“I don’t think he _meant_ to do that and it was because of _your_ tech-”

“Wh- didn't mean- Are you for real? I can’t _believe_ he convinced you to keep sparring with him after that! And it was my technology, yes, that he STOLE from MY lab! I didn’t give that to him!”

His eyes widen in shock, “You didn’t? but you said-”

“No, no, don’t you dare twist my words, Goku. _He_ told you what he was doing with it, because I sure as hell had no idea.”

“...he stole it from you?”

She stares at him in disbelief. “Ok, look, I… I don't want to give you false information, there’s a lot of my theory on Goten that I haven't been able to _confirm_. So… we’re just going to work around that, alright? Because you don’t know shit about your son, apparently.”

“I- I know him… pretty well.”

“No. You don’t. But you at least know Goten’s gay right? Like, zero interest in women whatsoever.”

“Yes.”

“And that… he lived at Capsule Corp? Spent basically all his time training with… my father?”

“Uh, sort of, yes.”

“And you know they had a huge fight the day you came back, right? Haven’t talked to each other since?” _Except for once, thank you TRUNKS._

“Yes…”

“And… none of that raised any kind of red flags for you?

“I- … what…? I don’t.. It’s not like- I mean, yeah, it did, but I don’t-”

“Alright, what… what did they tell you happened that day? Because now I’m curious how the situation you’re in continues to elude you.” _I'm pretty sure I know exactly what's going on now and y_ _ou’re in the middle of it! How could you not see it!?_

He hesitates for a moment, “Goten said… Vegeta attacked him. Vegeta said… he lost his temper while they were training.”

Bra cocks her brow at him, “Oh really? Training. Likely story, hm?”

“Yeah. I… don’t believe them either.” He sighs and fiddles his spoon around the half melted ice cream still left in the container, “But even though Vegeta is a jerk, he rarely lies. ...Not… not to other people anyway. He lies to himself a lot.”

“Well, I hope you know your son, on the other hand, is a very proficient liar.”

He looks up at Vegeta’s daughter, “No, he’s not. He’s… he’s terrible at it, like me. ... he just does it _all_ the time. And I never know... what he's lying about so I… don’t know what to do about it.”

“Don’t know- the fuck? If you know he’s lying then call him out on it!” He is so startled he stopped eating and stares at her not knowing what to say. “He is clearly taking advantage of how trusting you are and pushing it as far is it can go. He thinks he can control you! And Goku, all I’m hearing from you is that you’re letting him!” _Oh, Goten, I'm about light a fire and fuck your world up._

“No, he wouldn't do that. He’s-”

“He’s what? Your idiot son? So what? Look in a mirror. You are Son Fucking Goku. Hero of the goddamn universe. You don’t need to waste time meditating about this shit. We’ve all heard your stories. My father never shut the fuck up about you when Goten wasn’t around! You have conquered armies, aliens, evil tyrant overlords, and holy shit you were the first Super Saiyan. _No One_ controls you! You need to confront him! If not for my father, then for you. Don’t let him get away with lying to your face when you obviously know better! What is wrong with you?!”

A warm fuzzy feeling floods his chest before there is a long pause and his expression drops, “He’s… stronger now. So’s Vegeta.”

She clicks her nails against the cool tile. “And I… have a solution for that little problem.”

He looks up at her and tilts his head as she pulls out a metal band with a small x on it from her pocket. He scoots away with widened eyes.

“Nonono” she holds out her hands reassuringly, “I'm not going to use it on you. I mean. I was, if you didn't cooperate. But now I'm giving it to you.”

“No, no, that’s not- I’m just-” he laughs nervously, “going to spend a few days in the spirit room. I don’t want-”

“The what?”

“It’s-” he points with his head towards a building near where Dende had been earlier, “Time is different there. I can train-”

“And just how many days in there do you think you’ll need to catch up to him?”

“I- …”

“Is the answer more than one?”

“It's… I’m not really sure. He hasn’t shown me his full strength. I’m not sure he knows it. He… I think he has trouble controlling it.” His brows furrow.

“Well, then Goku, you can keep fucking around with time and waste more YEARS of your life not knowing what he’s lying to you about. Or.” She puts a tap of ki on the band and it opens. Then she closes it again and offers it to him. “You can use this. It binds ki and I know for a fact it works on him.”

Goku stays silent as he hesitantly accepts it.

“You probably won’t have to use it. But just in case. You know?”

“Just… in case…” He repeats uncertainly.

“Yeah and don’t worry, it’s super easy to use. Just put a little ki into it and it pops open. Then you slap that bad boy on him and boom, no ki. His heart might stop for a couple seconds, don’t worry, he survived the first time, he’ll survive this time too.”

“What?”

“Nothing- really, it’s safe. I promise.”

He sets it aside a safe distance from himself while Bra pulls out her phone and begins scrolling through the slew of messages her brother sent her. “Oh, fun! He sent a video! Look!” She leans towards him so they can both look at her screen. Goku watches in fascination the most incredible ki display he’s ever seen before a particularly large uncontrolled burst causes Goten to fall off the table he’s standing on and nearly split his face open on the floor. The video abruptly ends with Trunks running towards him saying, “‘Ten!! That was so fucking cooOh shit a fire! Shitshitshithi-”

“Wow, I didn’t know we could do that.” Bra admits. "Looks like they're having fun though, doesn't it?"

He pulls her phone a little closer to his face and replays it. “That’s- I’ve never seen anything like that before. I wonder how he did all those colors.”

“Yeah, your son is gifted alright. Here, selfie time.” She pulls him in close and looks up at her phone, “Smile!” She snaps a picture of his bewildered face squished next to her gleeful one.

“What was that for?”

“Just… letting my brother know I kept my promise and didn’t do anything… rash.” Her brightly colored fingernails tap through her phone until she finds a filter she likes and sends it. “Goku, this was… really, it was a great talk and I expect great things.” She stands up, “So keep me posted on that confrontation of yours, ok?” He nods with a smile as she walks backwards toward the edge, “And… please for the love of- let me know _immediately_ if you use that.”

“I will.”

She mouths the word ‘good’ and winks at him before leaning back off the edge into a casual free fall for a few thousand feet which was thrilling, but really no good for her hair.

 

\----

 

“So, that went… terribly. What do we do now?” Trunks sulks in the hallway looking a ragged mess.

“Well, I guess we don’t really have a choice. We help dad upgrade the Gravity Chamber.”

“What? Why would we-”

“So we have something to do while we wait.” She smiles deviously before walking away towards her lab.

“While we- Oh god, no, what did you do?” he follows her, “You said you didn’t do anything! Bra! What did you do?! Wait for what?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm. this one when I started writing was easy, but became more and more difficult as time went on. Every time i sat to edit, it got longer and longer and got to a point, where I needed to put it out, because let me tell you, I have been getting ahead of myself of late. I keep working a chapter a head and the next one, oof. i tried to get a few light moments in this one because wow, we're about to descend into darkness.


	32. Friendly Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku and Goten have a friendly competition in which Goten proves to be a bit of a sore loser.

"No, dad, you have to- try aiming at their heads. And stop button smashing, you're going to break the controller again."

"But I don't know what any of the buttons do!"

"Well that doesn't mean you should press all of them at once! I told you, x is jump, triangle is smash, square is reload, right AND left trigger are shoot- uhg, here, try... try this, turn towards that guy, ok, now run up to him and press x-x-triangle-circle really fast."

"AH! Yes! I got him!” He smiles broadly. “Oh wow, that's a lot of blood!" 

"See? Not so hard. Consider it training for... tactics and reflex."

Goku nods and gets a serious look on his face before trying the exact same combination several more times with a slightly-better-than-chance success rate.

This wasn’t originally what he planned on doing when he sat next to Goten. He had intended on trying to talk him into training this morning with the deeper intention of trying to start a conversation about something he really didn’t want to talk about. But it was storming outside and he got distracted when his son offered to teach him the game he was playing.

It was in Goku’s nature to avoid and put off work for as long as he could, but after three days, the feeling that he needed to take action was beginning to needle at him. Vegeta’s daughter was right, he couldn’t keep continuing to pretend nothing was wrong. Despite Goten’s continual insistence and everyone else's seeming ignorance, he knew better. Though, it wasn’t reassuring to remember the last few times they’d talked about anything of importance it hadn’t gotten them anywhere.

Goku pauses the game and stares at the screen for a few moments before turning to his son with a serious look. “...Goten, I-”

The front door opens, interrupting him, and drawing their attention. They look over at Gohan who has just walked in drenched from the pouring rain holding a small cardboard box looking nothing short of miserable.

"Long day?" Goten asks before putting his feet up.

Gohan gives his brother a curt exhausted nod before walking over and dropping the box on the coffee table in front of his father. "This is... all yours. Or all mom would give me anyway.” 

Goten can’t read minds, but the implacably dispirited expression crossing his father’s face says nothing short of, ‘Oh yeah. I forgot. I left my wife.’ Goten has to bite his tongue to avoid laughing.

“Actually… dad, can we talk for a minute? I guess I have… good news for you.” Gohan says with a tired sigh.

“Sure…” He sets down the controller and follows his eldest son into the kitchen.

Goten watches with his peripherals until they’ve cleared the other side of the wall and started talking before taking the box and going through it.

He’d noticed his father was quite the minimalist, but it still surprised him how few possessions he owned. Some clothing, a bag of senzu beans, some weighted training gear, which looked very old, some kind of…  _ red… stick? A pole?  _ Goten picks it up and inspects it out of curiosity but couldn’t come to a conclusion on its purpose.  He picks up a glass orange orb with four red stars on it. ... _ if the stories about these are true, I could have everything I ever wanted…. If the stories about this are true… and the way to find them hadn’t died with Trunks' mom….  _ He hums over the orb, places it carefully back in the box and continues rooting through the rest of his father’s belongings. All that was left were a couple of pictures… and…  _ Bingo.  _ A phone.

“Let’s see… how you’re handling that break up…” he is halted by a request for a password, “Shit. Who taught you how to do that?”

1-2-3-4 (wrong)

4-3-2-1 (wrong)

_ Damn. It's probably either my birthday or Gohan’s. Damn it!  _ He agonizes for a moment over which of the two dates is more likely before something else catches his attention. Goku has almost a dozen messages waiting for him. Goten can't see what they say but he can see who they’re from.

_ What. The. F- THAT! BITCH! What the fuck does she think she’s doing!?  I told her not to- _

He is livid. He was sure he’d secured that liability.  _ Why the fuck would she-  _ Her father was in no position to protect her _ , was he?  _ Neither was Goku, _ I outpower him _ , which only left  _ TRUNKS! YOU SON OF A-  _ Goten’s eye twitches as he fights to contain the sudden burst of rage.  _ No, can’t be mad at him. Not Trunks’ fault his sister is a conniving whore. Probably talked him into it. He doesn’t know anything. _

He divides his anger in equal parts between himself and Bra. He had let Trunks get him so blasted. At first he just felt inconvenienced about it. Now he was furious he’d slept through the only opportunity to get to Capsule Corp he’d had in weeks. His father was back and now he had to figure out what the fuck to do with him before he could deal with  _ her _ and maybe if he was lucky deal wi _ \- no, not deal with- _ have a  _ good long talk _ with Vegeta to really  _ set things right. _

His next step comes very suddenly and very easily to him.  _ One hit. That's all I need. One knock out hit. By the time he wakes up, there will be nothing he can do. _

He quickly stashes the phone back in the small box before his father walks into the room, hand behind his head rubbing his neck in that stupid fashion he always does when he was uncomfortable or nervous or just didn’t know what else to do. Goten picks up the controller and resumes the game.

“Everything good?” he asks as Goku slumps next to him.

A rare moment of contemplation chases across Goku’s features, “Chi Chi and I… weren’t technically married when I came back. It was already… ‘annulled’...? I don’t…. have to get a divorce, so that is good.” His brows crinkle, “But I think I’m still technically dead.”

“Yeah well, your other ex is still an illegal alien after almost thirty years. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Goku nods and starts going through the box. He watches carefully as his father picks up his phone and starts laughing as he reads through it.

“What’s so funny?” Goten asks sharply.

“Hm? Oh… nothing…” Goku waves off the attitude and slides his phone into his pocket before picking up the other controller still smiling over her messages.

_ I might just kill her.  _ “Dad.” Goten suddenly says very brightly in high contrast to his usual temperament. “Let’s spar.”

Goku looks out the window with a frown, “...but it's pouring out.”

“Oh. Never-mind, I guess. I didn’t realize you were afraid of a little rain.”

Goku pauses with deja-vu. He knew that tactic. It was the same tactic he used to get Vegeta to do things he knew Vegeta wouldn’t want to do. Other than whining, of course. Vegeta also had a soft spot for whiners. Still, Goku had no idea it was that effective. Even though he so viscerally aware that something about the way Goten asked wasn’t right, the Saiyan part of him could  _ never  _ turn down a spar after a comment like that.  _ Of course I’m not afraid of the rain! I can fight in any condition. _ He can't pass it up. “I’m not.”

“So... you wanna spar?”

“Yeah.” Goku hopes maybe this will work out for him too. Maybe he can get Goten to finally tell him what’s going on.

 

 

\-----------

  
  
  


Goku finally thinks he understands the advantage to the extremely tight pants Vegeta always wore other than hopelessly distracting him.

Sweatpants got  _ heavy  _ in the rain. Not that weight was an issue, but the constant chafing of his movements and the fabric not following him the way it was supposed to was unbelievably  _ annoying! _ He doesn’t see how Goten isn’t bothered by the same thing. He’s not sure if he trains in weather like this regularly, or if he just simply doesn’t care. Whatever the case, he seems to be enjoying this and hitting just as hard as he usually does. Maybe harder. 

He is sure now that Vegeta was lying too because he has noticed his son  _ never _ pulls his punches. He didn’t always take the hit when he had it, but when he did, he always meant it. When he was serious, which didn’t seem to be very often around Goku, he could be a ferocious fighter and like Vegeta he never let his guard down. In fact if it weren’t for the flarey movement that slowed him down and allowed for sloppy openings, Goku is sure his son would be the better fighter. He had to admit though, it did look cool and he wonders where he learned it because Vegeta certainly never fought like that.

All his thoughts give him pause and he is not paying as much attention as he should be. Goten’s fist is coming at him quick and he has to instant transmit to avoid it. When Goku reappears his counter is blocked and repaid with a kick to the rib cage that sends him straight to the ground, wheezing.

Goten flies down after him and lands in front of him, “You almost had me!” he says with a peculiar smile, “But you’re getting predictable with that.”

Goku rubs the aching spot while getting up, “Am I?” 

Goten, who hadn't powered up once out of frustration, which was unusual, answers with a calm almost pleasant demeanor, “Yes.” 

Goku stands there in the pouring rain for a few moments eyeing his son warily not sure if he was really having a good time or if something else was going on in his head.

“I like that technique though. Keeps me on my toes.” Goten smirks, “It’s ki based isn’t it?”

Goku laughs uncomfortably, “Uh.. I think so.”

“Teach it to me.”

There's a long pause as Goku hesitates, “I’ve never taught it to anyone. I’m… not sure I could.”

“Tch! What? But you are the greatest fighter of all time, dad. I’m sure you could teach it. And I really want to learn it.” He leans in close and even though he’s smiling, the baring of his teeth was a very unsettling gesture “Because you’re right, you never know what kind of enemies I might be fighting in the future.” 

A chill runs down Goku’s spine and in an unusual move of self preservation he keeps his guard up and kicks one of his feet back into stance as Goten begins circling him.

“How about... I fight you for it?”

Goku tracks his sons movements carefully,  _ something… isn’t right. _ “Fight me for it?”

“Yeah.” He crosses his arms and continues circling him slowly, “We’ll spar in base form, I won’t power up; even footing” he sneers, “We’ll spar to the first hit. And if I win, you at least  _ try  _ to teach it to me.”

“...and if I win?”

Goten stops face to face with him, “I don’t know. What do you want?”

He thinks for a moment whether this was really the best time. His son had a strange way of being his happiest when something was wrong and something was definitely wrong. But he had to ask. Bra was right, he needed to know. “I... want the truth.”

“The- about what?” Goten asks with a smug laugh.

“About you… and Vegeta.”

“Me... and Vegeta....” He says slowly looking up at the rain.  _ Ooooh yeah, she's done for.  _ “And why... would you want to know that when I’ve already told you a dozen fucking times?” 

“Because I don’t- don’t believe you!”

He narrows his eyes and stays toe to toe, eye to eye, with the man he once impersonated, “If you’re so sure that I’m lying, then tell me, what do you  _ think  _ happened?”

“I- I don’t know.”  _ But I’m starting to think you’re- _

“You don’t know…” He tilts his head up and pretends to think about it, “No. I don’t agree to that condition. Pick something else.” 

“That’s… but that’s all I want. Is for you to stop lying to me. It’s all you’ve done since I’ve come back. To me, to Gohan, to Chi Chi… to everyone.”

“Well, I guess it’s an immutable facet of my personality you’ll just have to deal with like everyone else.” Goku frowns as his son resumes circling him, “Pick something else.”

Goku shakes his head, “No, you pick something else. I don’t want to teach you the IT technique.” 

“You won’t have to if you win.” He pushes on Goku’s shoulder in mocking sportsman-like camaraderie. His father glares at him distrustfully. “Alright! Fine, have it your way, if you get the first hit, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know and I’ll never ask about the IT technique again.” He holds out his hand in truce.

But it is so hard to trust Goten when he has that look in his eye assuring his father he wasn’t going to fight fair. Goku decides the danger is limited as he remembers the band in his pocket. He shakes Goten’s hand. “Ok.”

Goten blasts off quickly to gain distance and forces his father to follow and catch up. When he does, Goten is waiting for him and goes for an all out knock out right off the bat. Then again. And again. And again. Goku sure he has never been forced to dodge so many times in a row. Goten is snapping his fists back too quickly for Goku to risk trying to catch one. He might end up getting pulled in close instead. He tries to figure out a pattern or opening, something, because although Goten’s form isn’t perfect, he learns fast and takes full advantage of his natural aptitude for powerful well coordinated combinations. 

Goku is watching for the moment Goten powers up. He was sure he would. He always did. That’s how Goten won all their spars. So Goku decides to dodge, weave and wait, biding time for the moment Goten proved this wasn’t just a spar. The moment comes when he tries to bring the battle back down to the ground and Goten chases after him ready to land a final blow with a glint of Super Saiyan simmering on the edges. Just before he does, before Goten can transform and land that hit, Goku disappears. The reappears and disappears and reappears. Over and over again he IT’s around Goten trying to disorient him moving too quickly for Goten to respond tactically. He disappears one last time and watches his son from a distance away. 

He watches Goten turn and turn, trying to figure out which direction his father will reappear in.

A left elbow connects to the back of Goten’s neck forcing his abdomen to collapse onto Goku’s knee. Goten slips out of Super Saiyan and coughs violently.

“I win. ...I'm not teaching that technique to you. Now tell me the tr-”

Goten staggers upright and wipes his mouth.  “That's ok.” he sneers, “I don't need it.” Goten explodes full speed at his father taking him to the ground.

“Ahhg! Goten! Wh- why?!” he stutters between blows. “STOP!”

“FUCK! YOU!” He slams his fist into Goku's nose, “Because! I hate you!” He pulls back and sits up. Goku’s eyes are wide and he stares at his son who leans in close with a bloodthirsty grin, “You want to know the truth? HA! I will never tell you! And neither will he!” 

Goku responds by smashing his fist into Goten’s jaw. For a moment he thinks he has a shot at regaining the upper hand. The moment doesn’t last long. Goten flares his power and catches one fist. Then the other. He twists them back trying to force his father into a pin.

_ I’m… I’m losing. No, I can’t lose!  _ _ Not like this!  _ He focuses on freeing one of his hands and succeeds, but he still can't get to his pocket as Goten rears back his fist for that knock out hit he wanted so badly.

“You know dad, I’m worried about all your head trauma. I’m worried that if you take one more bad hit you might never wake up.”

Goku watches his son begin to wind up and in an act of desperation runs his one free hand up under Goten's shirt then just below the waist of his pants frantically searching for something. His palm sweeps across the rough edges of a scar and pauses.

Goten abruptly pulls back, "Hey! What the fuck are you-"

Goku throws as much ki as he can into his palm and slams it into the scar.

Goten immediately goes completely slack and collapses on top of Goku howling in pain. Goku seizes the opportunity to wiggle out from underneath the buckled frame and looks down at his son who is still a quivering drooling mess from the agony still coursing through him all the way from his tail scar to the edges of his ears, fingertips and toes. 

"That was... such a cheap... shot..." the words come out fuzzy as his vision blurs.

But Goku wasn’t thinking about fairness. He was thinking about how even though he hated using this technique without consent, he was going to get the answer he rightfully won in one way or another. His son was going to give him the truth.

"Goten. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for wha..." 

Goku places his hand on the side of Goten’s face and closes his eyes.

"What are you-" He begins to struggle up but his ability to respond is halted and he is forcibly pulled into conscious limbo. Any progress towards recovery was put on hold. There is a moment of darkness before everything flashes in front of him instantaneously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Navi9 who beta'd this (and the next ch, which is almost done, I promise.)
> 
> Anyway, this has been a long time coming, ey? 
> 
> And as I'm sure you're all wondering, Goku's password is actually just 4-4-4-4. He's a simple guy.


	33. Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goten finally tells his father what's been bothering him.

Goku's mind is immediately choked with feelings. All of them deep, dark and intense. There is so much anger and hatred it is hard to break through to the painful memories underneath. When he finally does he is accompanied by a strong sense of fear belonging to his son. Goku knows it is here, but he doesn’t know where. So he starts at the beginning. He starts with the string of yelling matches turned violent fights with Vegeta that began after his disappearance.

They are violent because of Goten. He starts every single one of them and only sometimes did Vegeta indulge him when he absolutely had to. Eventually there is a shift. The fights are regimented, scheduled and Vegeta has full control over which techniques Goten will try and use.

 

"Stop hitting from your shoulder or next time I will shatter it. Throw using your body, that is where your power comes from." Vegeta demonstrates and Goten is left reeling. "You want to be better than him, don't you?" Goten nods, "Then learn how to fight better." Vegeta offers his hand. Goten is only nine and it is the first time since his father left anyone mentioned him without comparing them. Vegeta is the only one who never compares them. Not out loud. Goten repays the kindness by smacking Vegeta’s hand away and taking his advice seriously. His next hit is clean and powerful.

 

_No wonder you’re so strong._

 

Between Goten’s constant fighting with Vegeta there are flashes of painful heated arguments at home with Gohan and Chi Chi. “SHUT UP GOHAN! Stop saying I should be proud to look like him! He left us! I hate him!”

Goku remembers being so close with Goten when he was little and it is agonizing to see how devastated he is by Goku's sudden absence.

Arguments at home are common, but there are far more memories of Goten crying alone in the wasteland or in a small but furnished guest room at Capsule Corp.

 

A door creaks open and Trunks’ voice calls out.

“‘Ten? Is that you? I felt your ki but I thought you went ho-”

"Can I stay here another day? I hate-" a fourteen year old Goten tries to hold back tears in a dark room with his knees hugged to his chest, "I hate going home. All she does- is talk about how worthless he is.” He begins to break down. “But if I’m just like him, doesn’t that mean I’m worthless too?”

"Wh- no! No you’re not- ‘ten! Don’t listen to her… Of course you can stay here… Hey," he rests his hand on his shoulder, “I found something cool the other day that’ll cheer you up, wanna see it?”

Goten straightens up a little, “Yeah.”

 

There are a lot snapshots of him and Trunks and those seem fairly happy at first, _even though they're getting into so much trouble..._  But it becomes clear they are both just looking for ways to escape the loss, pain, and grief they are surrounded by in their homes. Vegeta didn’t ignore his children but it was clear even through Goten’s memories that he didn’t know how to deal with loss any better than they did. Goku cringes watching a seventeen year old Trunks wake up and fearlessly rip an IV out of his arm, "Shit. My head is fuckin’-” He looks at Goten with a wide grin, “Let's get out of here before my father finds out."

As he gets older he stays more and more at Capsule Corp until eventually after a brief flash of a shattering plate and Chi Chi crying, mount Paozu disappears entirely from the memories that were becoming more and more punctuated by the way Goten looked at any dark haired guy who walked by with a little bit of muscle and sometimes even by the way he looks at Vegeta. Especially on hot summer days when he wears a particular pair of blue compression shorts.

 

 _Hm._ Goku didn’t like that at all and it bothered him for both reasons that were easy to name, like jealousy, and deeply troubling ones that weren’t. _But he’s… raising you. And… almost forty years older than you… and you… can’t even stand each other. The only thing you have in common is fighting and… me._

The looks quickly turn into hot heated moments in dark clubs, darker rooms. _How... many...?_ Goku can't count the number of different faces in different beds and from they way those memories begin to blur together, it becomes apparent his son doesn't know either.

Goku can feel the continual lack of satisfaction from it all. No matter how many men, or how much alcohol, or how many fights, it doesn’t matter. Nothing is enough. Goten always needs more. More, more, more, more. _More what?_ Goku asks and he hears his son respond in confused desperation, trying to push him out of his head, 'I don't know! I DON'T KNOW! I just need more SOMETHING! GET OUT!'

He refuses, presses forward, and watches as Goten increasingly struggles with not knowing what to do to break through the endless cycle of instant gratification being immediately followed by bitter emptiness. Goku watches him get more frustrated as every one night stand gets rougher. He watches his son's disconcerting dependence on Vegeta as an outlet for his anger and frustration become more and more pronounced. He watches as his son's desire for strength begins clashing more regularly with his ability to keep control over his temper and thus his power. He'd always had a hard time with that but now-

 

Another memory. A flash of Vegeta. Asleep. Goten is... just watching him. The memory is quick, hardly more than an instant, but Goku is able to catch the only thing that matters. He knows what Goten heard and it is followed by a sudden, dramatic shift inside Goten's head. There is a loud flood of angry noise that momentarily disrupts Goku’s concentration.

Then a strange dark feeling of envy envelopes Goku as he tries to push past the noise now distorting not just the memories but the echo of Goten’s internal voice.

 

_Vegeta..._

 

Every time Goku reaches for a memory now it is pulled away or so full of noise he can’t quite make out what he’s supposed to be looking at. Goku is suddenly very aware that Goten is trying to block something from him.

 

_...wants my father? But Vegeta hates my father! I hate my father! How could he- No, WHY would he-_

 

Then the anger and noise is muted as something mischievous works its way through Goten's mind and Goku can feel how hard his son is trying to hold it back before it snaps free.

 

 _Everyone says I'm exactly like him. Except for you, Vegeta. …. and I_ _always_ _appreciated that._

 

The warped reverberating thoughts make the hair on the back of Goku's neck stand on end and it finally begins to click in place what Vegeta meant by, "You don't know what he's capable of."

 

 _You have no idea, Vegeta, how well this might work out for both of us_.

 

Another memory surfaces amidst the noise and Goku doesn't understand what he's looking at. _Myself?_ He is flexing in the mirror, wearing his gi. _No, wait, Gohan is next to m- is that Goten?_ He is genuinely stunned by the resemblance he has denied almost as vehemently as Goten until now.

Goku doesn’t have time to reflect long as he is abruptly, roughly pushed forward through the memories until he is suddenly met by an argument between Vegeta and Goten over... _my gi?_ He watches Vegeta launch at Goten and begin hitting him relentlessly, all while shouting at him, threatening to _kill_ him. He doesn't understand where this is coming from. Vegeta has never started a fight with Goten.

“He was- It was- isn’t it obvious?! Don’t be stupid, dad! He was mad at me for keeping it!” Goten’s voice comes through clearly, but still desperate as Goku delves deeper for the missing part. _No._ Goku responds. _Vegeta isn’t like that.._ . _You’re hiding something else._

“Stop, STOP! Look. He is! Look what he did to me. Get out. Get OUT! GET OUT! GET-”

But Goku hears the name ‘Kakarot’ being called over and over again from somewhere far away and it catches his attention. He searches and searches, but it is buried deep. Goten is trying to repress it, trying to pull it away from him. It is only with a persistence he usually reserved for training and a concentration he strictly used for meditation that he is a able to finally grab onto the memory and hold it in his mind.

 

Goten is sitting in the corner of a dark room that Goku recognizes as Vegeta’s. _What are you doing here?_ He watches Vegeta stumble in and all but pass out on the bed. There is a long pause. Then Goten gets up and Vegeta does too.

Goku listens and watches carefully as Vegeta mistakes Goten for himself and throws a sloppy punch into his sons face that his son really should have seen coming. Goku almost wants to laugh because that is exactly the response he expected to receive when Vegeta saw him. Goten was wrong. _He hasn’t changed at all._

The urge to laugh evaporates though, as he watches Vegeta fail to realize who is in front of him; as he watches Vegeta begin to shout angrily, openly clearly drunk about things he never meant to tell _Goten_.

He watches, through Goten's eyes, as his son's right hand reach towards Vegeta’s face in a more than friendly gesture. He watches as Vegeta suddenly gets _that look._ The one he always got after they argued and he doesn't understand why his son...  doesn't say something, why there's just silence from him because this was starting to get very  _very_ uncomfortable. _W_ _hy are you- Goten- What-_ He watches as Vegeta pushes his son back on to the bed with a smirk and he watches as Goten... lets him.

 

"Don't worry... Kakarot...." The words seem to drag out for an eternity as Vegeta leans in close.

 

 _No, No! Vegeta, stop! Goten! STOP! That's not-! This isn't real-!_ The memory doesn’t quite disappear, but it is put backseat as Goten’s laugh interrupts.

 

“Kakarot, Kakarot, Kakarot. What's so fucking great about Kakarot. _”_ Goku can hear the sneer in his son's voice as it echos around him. “ _You_ are a giant gullible idiot who let Vegeta walk all over you. Just look at the way he fucks m- ...you. He used you. ...Pathetic.”

Goku is silent as he watches the night unfold before him with Goten’s unpleasant narration.

“And it just blows my fucking mind that you let this go on for… how many years? I mean really, dad, what did you think was going to come of this? Especially now that he's had _me_.” Goten snorts.

Goku tries to shut out his son's thoughts but the panting and sighing surrounding him isn't any less painful to hear.

“You're- you're wrong! And you’re-” he struggles to find the words that can begin to describe the disgusted angry shock washing over him.

“Are you sure? And just look at how aggressive he is. Look. I love this part.” Goku watches as Vegeta bites deeply into Goten’s shoulder, then slowly begin lapping at the blood, pressing his mouth and lips to the wound in a way that was far from cruel, “You really must be a masochist.”

Goku stutters and tries to pull away from the memory, but Goten has decided, _maybe this will work_ . He has given up on resisting the unwanted presence in his head. He has decided he can exploit this in his favor and does so by bringing his father's attention to a particular moment. A moment _that will really twist the knife into the injury.  
_

A slew of filthy words exit Goten’s mouth provoking a shocked slurring Vegeta to ask, "Kakarot, where the fuck did you learn to curse like that?” Goku is forced to listen as Goten smartly replies, "Ah, from you." Vegeta laughs while Goten encourages him with a casual buck of his hips to fuck him harder. "I learned everything from you." Vegeta palms the blood on Goten's face and takes him up on his encouragement.

 

“Especially how best to hate my father.” Goten laughs and Goku thinks he's going to be sick.

“Is he always like that? I didn't even know we could go Super Saiyan during sex! What a climax, isn’t it? I’m just assuming that you know.”

 

Goku is struggling to maintain the connection. As if the ocean of hatred and pain inside Goten wasn't enough, he is now having difficulty controlling his own emotions which were suddenly many. Anger, betrayal, jealousy, fury, rage everything… his son had felt for so long fell into his own chest faster than he could respond to it.

 

"...But he thought you were- That's why- he knows you- you tricked him! He knows! ...You deserved-!"

"Yeah.... no, it's a shame I didn’t burn it sooner, but... I really thought I was going to need it again." Goten says with mocking cruelty.

"Again?! Ag- Goten! That was-! It was ra-"

"I know exactly what it was." He says darkly. "It was revenge. Revenge on you. Revenge on him. On everyone who thinks I'm exactly like you! I finally got something I wanted on your behalf besides constant reminders about how I look exactly like the person I hate the most. And let me tell you, dad, It. Felt. Phenomenal. ...Do you know what the best part is? Do you?” Goku doesn't respond, “I don't even like Vegeta. I hate him almost as much as I hate you. He's just _hot_ . And _powerful_. And I used him. Exactly like he used y-"

That was it. That was the last straw. Goku breaks the connection and he breaks it painfully.

Goten can hear his father's screaming in his head. Louder and louder until everything begins to crack and shake, coming in and out of focus giving him the most agonizing wave of dizziness, but the hold was beginning to slip and he is finally able to regain his bearings enough to rip his father's hand away with a startled cry.

When he comes back to reality he is still reeling from the pain in his body and his head. He is still questioning if what had just happened was really possible. He is still not quite sure what just happened as he comes back to staring directly up at the face of his father who had nothing more to say to him.

Goten begins to struggle but Goku doesn't give him the chance to get free. He was far more in control of his faculties and he takes full advantage of it as he lifts up Goten’s arm, snaps something on his wrist, stands, looks down at his son, presses two fingers to his forehead and disappears.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oi, hopefully I can get the third part to this wild crux out by Sunday. T_T we shall see.


	34. Unconditional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta and Goku settle their differences once and for all.

Trunks has just stormed out of the Gravity Chamber after yet another argument over the addition of _yet another_ safety protocol that was according to his father,

 

_‘COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY, NOW GET OUT! ….damn brat! I don’t need your help!’_

 

Though Vegeta did admit it could use a better ventilation system. The rain outside offered no relief in the now partially lit, sealed hellchamber he abused so dearly. He stops to peel off his sweat soaked tank top before reaching his arm down beneath one of the panels of the center console.

 

He feels several shocks of electricity while he contemplates for the thousandth time the best way to kill Kakarot’s son and get away with it. Though, he supposes he doesn’t have to get away with it if he can live with Trunks _and_ Kakarot hating him. What was one more enemy? _So… first, get the radar... I think it's still in her old lab. Then, I kill him… then resurrect him and smash the radar. Then kill him again. Twice is good. Should I kill him immediately though? or take my time torturing him? If I torture him, where would I keep him? Kakarot would find him. Or maybe I could-_

 

He jumps up and hits his head on the console, then immediately curses himself for being startled because he knows at some point he needed to just get used to it; it's never going to stop happening. _Not with his lack of manners_. He turns, still wrapped in up in murder, to Goku who has just appeared behind him soaking wet with a cracked nose. Vegeta’s eyes widen and his expression softens at the sight.

 

“Kakarot…” He stands up slowly. “Ka-”

 

Goku interrupts with a tired voice, "I know…. I know what he did.” He watches about a hundred unreadable thoughts cross Vegeta’s face, warping it with emotion. “I know everything.” He says with a serious face that wasn’t quite angry, but still left Vegeta unsure how to proceed.

 

“Ev...” The words drop off into space.

 

Goku inhales deeply, “Why… didn’t you tell me?” They were past pride and honor now. Vegeta could not hide.

 

“...I- I wanted to… after...  I-” Vegeta takes a step towards him but Goku holds out his arm and stops him.

 

“After… what? After you told me… how _unworthy_ of you I am? After you told me you were just… _using_ me? Then? Then you were going to tell me what he did? Is that when you were going to tell me why I had to pull you out of this- this stupid place! unconscious! half starved?! Or were you going wait until after he tried to kill me, Vegeta?! After I had to force truth out of _him_ and WATCH what he did?! After that?! Vegeta?! IS THAT WHEN YOU WERE GOING TO TELL ME!?” The distance between them closed and Goku’s not sure when that happened or who closed it but suddenly he was breathing heavily down onto Vegeta’s face and he backs off with a huff.

 

“N- Kakarot, I- it's… I didn’t realize-” he pauses and becomes irritated with himself. Goten’s sudden untimely death? That was planned. He had at least a hundred different feasible ideas. He knew what he was going to say, how he was going to say it and exactly where he was going to stick the knife. ...Dealing with Kakarot however... No thought whatsoever had gone into that. He had tried to sleep those thoughts away and push them somewhere deep down where they wouldn’t bother him. What was the point in dealing with them? Kakarot would never want to see him again. Right? His brain struggles to comprehend why Kakarot is here at all talking with him about this regardless of new information. Especially with new information. “...If could take it back- I didn’t- ”

 

“Take it back? Take-” Goku laughs in pained disbelief, “So, you admit it then? You were lying. What we shared… it was more than a- a ‘convenience’ to you.”

 

Vegeta’s jaw tenses, “Yes, it… was more.” He says quietly and Goku nods with a bitter frown.

 

“I know, Vegeta. I _always_ knew! And I knew your dumb conditions were just…just that!  ...and screw you! I’m worthy! Of being _a lot_ more than your sparring partner!” _I’m Son Fucking Goku. If anyone, it’s me who should be deciding who’s ‘worthy!’ but I don’t! Because that’s not how this works! Vegeta!_

 

“I… know.” He pieces his thoughts together slowly. “I…” The older Saiyan’s hands flex by his sides and he is unable to look his counterpart in the eyes.

 

"How… did you think cutting me out was going to help you?”

 

“I didn’t but I couldn’t- couldn’t deal with-” Vegeta swallows and slowly nods his head trying to tread carefully through a conversation they'd put off two decades too long. “I didn’t know… what you’d… I felt so-”

 

Goku lets emotion crush down on his brows and sighs. “But if you’d just told me then-”

 

Vegeta instinctively defaults to the only thing that felt comfortable these days. Anger. "Because it would have been that easy, wouldn't it?!"

 

"Yes!"

 

"No! Kakarot, it's never that easy! Would you have even believed me!? That he- he- Tch! I can barely believe it! And I-!” His voice cracks and he pauses, “Kakarot, you never would have believed me.”

 

“Why didn’t you offer _your_ memories, then? I still had to force them out of one of you and he tried to- Kami, V, he could have killed me!” He wipes the blood from his nose thinking about it. “And then where would you be?” he lets out a half-hearted laugh. “You’re supposed to be the one who does that.”

 

Vegeta chuffs and looks up at Kakarot’s attempt to offer comedic relief. “You’re such a hard bastard to kill. I might have forgiven his transgressions against me if he succeeded.”

 

His smile disappears, “No. You wouldn’t have. You never will.”

 

“And you already have, haven’t you?” He shakes his head as Goku says nothing. “Why… why are you here Kakarot? To interrogate me about how it makes me feel? Or maybe his memories weren’t enough and you need mine too? You going to root through them, like I’m sure you did his, shredding any sense of privacy I ever had? Is that it, Kakarot? You want to look in my head and make sure I fell into your demon’s little trap because I was just that self deluded by my crippling desperation for you? You feeling insecure? Or did you just come to humiliate me further over how I’ve ruined everything I’ve ever- and- and fuck! How can you keep forgiving me? How- why do you come back? Why- Kakarot, why are you her-?”

 

"Vegeta! You KNOW why I'm here!" The older stares at him before Goku shakes his head, pulls Vegeta his chest and locks their mouths together. Vegeta barely registers what is happening. Heat. Rain. Against him. Then... nothing as Goku gently pulls away.

 

“How can you… you still want...? After everything…? Why?”

 

Goku humms against his neck, “Sometimes when you ask questions like that Vegeta, I think you’re the idiot.” He runs his hands up Vegeta’s back and can feel his shoulders roll forward in encouragement. “But if you really wanna know, then I guess because… it feels good.” He smiles down at him.

 

“...What are you going to do about Go-”

 

Goku covers his mouth with his own again and begins working on their clothing. _The only thing I'm going to do right now, about anything, is you_ _._ He sighs happily when Vegeta begins assisting him. Soon they are naked on the cool tile floor trying to avoid the loose wires. Goku grunts as he pulls a wrench out from underneath of him and tosses it away.

 

“We should lea-”

 

“No. No” Goku pants out, “Now. Here. I want it now. No more leaving-” He bucks against Vegeta’s hips. “No more running awa-” He gasps out when he feels Vegeta grip his shaft. Goku thinks it won’t be any good if Vegeta has him undone in minutes with just his hand, so he tries to take back the advantage. He grips Vegeta’s hard narrow waist which was settled comfortably between his thighs and rolls them so he can be on top. Then he presses his whole body against Vegeta's for a rough, bruising kiss, which after the initial shock, Vegeta returns with fervor.

 

It's a break from their usual foreplay, which had never involved much kissing before and Goku still wasn't entirely convinced Vegeta would let him keep doing it, but here they were and it was a maddening sensation. Far better than their first kiss. More chaotic and violent than their second or any that that followed. This was the best one by far, Goku thinks and he bucks against Vegeta hoping this, like the rest of his broken rules, would be recurring.

 

He places his hands on either side of Vegeta's face and rocks against him, tongue rolling over tongue. His excitement is met with a deep rumbling chuckle from inside the older Saiyan's chest. It is the first time he’s laughed in months.

 

"Feeling good?" his fingertips tease at the edges of Goku's hair. Goku frowns, wondering why he'd bother stopping this just to ask a pointless question he already knew the answer too. Vegeta can hardly hold his partner off for a moment before he had them lip locked again.

 

Soon they are both panting and running their hands up and down each others bodies. Goku rakes his nails down Vegeta’s chest and sides while Vegeta bites deeply into Goku’s neck. He can feel how hard Vegeta is beneath him and moves his hand towards their exposed shafts. Vegeta stops him and there are several moments of hushed whispers between them.

 

"What?" Goku honestly isn't sure he heard him right. "But I like it like this- I don-"

 

"Don't argue- Just- fuck! Just do it! You’re going to like it."

 

Goku grumbles, "Fine, but I don’t-"

 

"Shut up with your whining and do what I say for once." Vegeta shifts and points as Goku, looking doubtful, dismounts to lay on his back.

 

The shorter Saiyan then suddenly parts Goku’s legs and kneels between them with too serious a look. His hands touch lightly along Goku’s sides forcing out a laugh, “St-stop, that tickles, V-” The offending hands stop and the older Saiyan hesitates before taking him to the back of his mouth in one fell swoop down.

 

Vegeta ran his hands roughly now up and down Goku’s torso while the younger wrapped his leg around the back of Vegeta’s neck. Goku arches his back as he feels himself hit the back of Vegeta’s throat again. Goku had noticed how Vegeta always liked to make a point about Saiyans not having gag reflexes. He remembers once asking during the act if that was why they could swallow so much at a time when they ate too. That was the first and only time he’s ever made Vegeta choke.

 

“Ah! Ve- Vegeta- wait, I want- Ah, I want to-” Vegeta was right, he liked this. He likes this a lot, but it was far too soon for him to feel this close.

 

He comes up gasping, “I know what the fuck you want. Shut up.” He dips his head back down and continues leaving Goku writhing. The younger runs his fingers through Vegeta’s coarse locks and pulls him up.

 

“V, please, I want-”

 

Vegeta slaps his hand over the younger Saiyan’s mouth, “And I said, I know what you want.” he pulls away from Goku's grip and continues the hardcore eroticism that is covering Goku’s entire shaft with his warm wet mouth.

 

When Vegeta finally releases him from what was beginning to edge on torture, he makes his way slowly up Goku’s torso, crawling over him with a hungry almost desperate look that was about to drive his younger counterpart nearly over the edge and straddles him.

 

The younger Saiyan's eyes widen and his breathing shallows as Vegeta slowly grinds against him. It’s starting to click now why Vegeta said, ‘Get on your back and stay absolutely still until I tell you.’

Goku is already sweating in anticipation. He can almost see the steam rolling off of them from how hot he feels just watching every muscle twitch on Vegeta's body as he rocks; in his neck, his shoulders, his chest, his thighs; Goku feels him relaxing and tensing above him. His heart skips a beat and he’s suddenly worried he won't last through the night. He's sure he'll die here and now as Vegeta wordlessly agrees to give him something he’s never given before.

 

Goku hesitantly rests his hands on Vegeta's hips and looks up at the other Saiyan with flushed cheeks and a lot of uncertainty as Vegeta takes a hold of Goku’s shaft and begins to sit back onto him, slowly, so agonizingly slow. Goku throws his head back in rapture once he feels Vegeta finally pull back and press himself all the way down and Vegeta utters a sound of relief like he's been waiting for this his whole life.

 

The pace is painfully gradual, but each stroke is complete. A little harder, deeper, faster better than the one before. As Vegeta speeds up his pace he also tightens his grip around the other Saiyan's shoulders. His grip begins to turn into an embrace and suddenly Goku can feel Vegeta's chest against his, hear his panting in his ear, his hair brushing against his cheek, Vegeta’s arms are now locked around him, one hand caught in his hair, the other digging painfully into his back. The younger pulls his bottom lip between his teeth relishing that feeling. Fingertips dragging down spine in barely contained ecstasy.

 

Goku doesn’t know it, but there is a reason Vegeta is holding so tightly. He is afraid. Incomprehensibly fearful that Kakarot might disappear at any moment. He grips until his knuckles are white to hide that he is shaking with anxiety, worried this moment like so many others he’s dreamed in the last fifteen years, it isn't real, _Or worse-_  And despite an attempt from Goku to shift, Vegeta doesn't let him go. Instead everything intensifies, tightens, and holds him closer

 

It's not until Vegeta finally releases him in favor of accessing his face so he can kiss him again that Goku realizes exactly what's happening.

 

_We're... we're not f-_

 

"Kakarot-" Vegeta pauses his deep fluid motions, "Kakarot, I want you to-"

 

Goku opens his eyes and looks up at him with a sex haze clouding his mind unable to figure out what Vegeta could possibly want him to do that's better than his. Vegeta catches his breath for a moment and the only thing stopping Goku from whining is the sudden movement from Vegeta that causes them to roll so their positions are flipped, Vegeta’s legs wrapping around Goku’s waist in the process.

 

"Unh, V, what-"

 

"Kakarot. Fuck me. Go fucking Super Saiyan and fuck me already." _Fuck me and my conditions._

 

Vegeta bucks his hips to try and encourage him and it works. Goku begins thrusting. He goes slow and deep, trying to feel every part of him. He focuses on making sure he’s hitting that spot, he focuses on Vegeta’s breathing, and his heart, the hitch in his breath as he finds the right angle. Then, he feels the other Saiyans arms come up and crush into his back, forcing them chest to chest, “Transform and-”

 

"No. I- I don't want to."

 

"What?"

 

"I don’t want to f-fuck you." he stutters when he feels Vegeta tighten around him, tensing from feeling the pressure of their sweat slicked abdomens on his cock, "You were, ah, right. I'm too soft- I don’t want to-" He buries his face into Vegeta's neck before pulling out as far as he can before pressing back in again “I want you... like this."

 

Vegeta almost breaks then and there and lets out a noise choked in wordless apology that he denied him this for so long. He wants to tell him that but trying to find the words to voice the sentiment is difficult when Goku is pressing in and out of him so well it was driving him insane. He settles on arching his back and hips up to meet those deep meaningful thrusts and breaking the sudden tension by teasing him for it, "You're- unh, anything but soft right now, Kakarot."

 

Goku laughs and picks up his speed while kissing along his neck and jaw. They bind closer together, locking lips and hips over and over again until Goku is sure they must be fusing. He feels himself getting impossibly close and pulls back to draw it out just a little longer.

 

"I don't, ah, I don't care if this is the only time we do this. it's- ah- it's enough to have you once the way I want you- ah, you were- right about this- You've always been right." He moves his hand between them and sends Vegeta into too much ecstasy to respond.

 

Goku's strokes, his words, his touch, his everything driving him over the edge he can't even think straight. A final press of their mouths together is the final straw, he breaks. Totally and completely. He belongs to Kakarot in that moment and every moment after and he knows it.

 

"Ah, ah, Vegeta, you’re- ah-ah you feel so- ah!" one final, press in as hard, as deep as he can go and then another and then _-_ Goku’s mouth opens, but he can't get out a sound. All he can do is crush the other Saiyan tighter to him as they finish together, ki bending and waving between them around them making their shuddering rush even more pleasurable.

 

Then a few breathless minutes later it's over. Even though it's just begun; the rest of their lives together.

 

Vegeta feels his heart slow down but can't bring himself to move yet. "Kakarot" his deep voice cracks as his mind finally clears enough to find those words he was looking for, "Kakarot I- I made a lot of mistakes…”

 

Goku goes completely still and waits for him to continue with bated breath.

 

“... I had time… so much time… to get used to the fact… that she wouldn’t always be there. I always knew humans didn’t live as long as Saiyans. And it felt.... easy to justify you as something I could always have but didn’t need because I still had her, and fuck, I just assumed that- ...I never thought… you’d leave me too.” He has to pause to collect himself, "I know I was an asshole to you and-" he inhales deeply and stutters out a sad laugh. "I didn't know if I wanted to kill you half the time or If I wanted to... fuck, Kakarot... I’m sorry... " he pulls himself out from under Goku and lays next to him naked without any shame. He has bared himself to this idiot completely and fully and Kakarot to him. Though he thinks, maybe for a long time Kakarot has been giving himself up completely, but that didn’t matter anymore. There are no more rules or restrictions. There is only them.

 

He tenses for an instant as he feels Goku's arm wrap around his waist. He relaxes as Goku works his other arm around his other side and pulls him close. So close he's shaking from the effort, no he's shaking from... _crying?_ Vegeta turns his head to confirm his suspicions just as Goku says it and turns back with a sigh.

"You know I hate it when you say that."

 

"But... I've never said it to you before."

 

"You still know I hate it..." The older Saiyan quietly grumbles before drifting off to sleep. And Goku smiles happily, drifting with him knowing that's the best response he would get out of him for now. He drifts off saving the worries of their families for another day. He was going to take in everything this moment offered for exactly what it was and nothing more. Unconditional. Love.

  


\---

  


Goten collapses to his knees on the capsule corp lawn gasping for breath after sprinting the fastest the band would let him. He can feel their kis and he curses, trying to power up. He aims at the chamber but there is nothing from his palm. The band glows brightly and he can see the rain sizzling at it hits it. His head is fuzzy and he gives up for the time being thinking at least the rain looked pretty.

 

The he feels another ki. It gets closer and closer to him until it is right behind him. He doesn’t turn or say anything. He lets them stand there as he begins to silently break down. She puts her hands on his shoulders and leans down to whisper in his ear.

 

"Aw, don't cry, 'Ten. We're going to have sooo much fun together. Aren't you excited?" He shakes his head with palpable fear in his eyes, she smirks. "I'm excited.” He feels a prick in his neck and then darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry I used the L word. I just felt that I had to. I hate it, i hate it so much, i try to avoid it and always find clever, and stupid, ways to leave it implied but man, it had to be said here. Getting all sappy on you guys when you least expect it.
> 
> And if you're sad about that, if you were really hoping this was just going to get worse and worse (I know I was!) don't worry! Because I have something for you too. Peak through my works and read Sickness. Which //sort of// fits between this chapter and the next chapter. I didn't feel like it quite belonged? Especially after this ch. But it happened anyway. You will not be missing anything if you don't read it and fair warning, it is... a painfully uncomfortable read.


	35. Talk Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta has an incidental heart to heart with his son.

Goku puts the last plate into the sink before pressing Vegeta against the counter and answering him with teeth nipping at Vegeta’s smirk with every syllable.

 

“I already left her.”

 

“What? When?” Vegeta’s voice is quiet as he cranes his neck allowing Goku access to the thick corded muscles there.

 

Goku hums, “Actually she... kinda kicked me out... a few days ago” then runs his hands down just beneath Vegeta’s ass and lifts him up onto the countertop. Goku stands between his legs and smiles “And that’s it. Gohan said I don’t have to do anything else about it. Because I’m dead.”

 

A soft muffled huff escapes through Vegeta’s teeth and as they sink into Goku’s shoulder, “Good news on all counts then…” Then he wraps his legs around Goku’s waist.

 

“Ya know, I’m starting to think you hated your rules as much as I did…” Goku teases with his nose just below Vegeta’s ear.

 

“Redicu-” Vegeta stops and his whole body locks up. They had been a little too focused on each other instead of their surroundings. Goku opens his mouth to ask what’s wrong but his question is answered as Trunks turns the corner into the kitchen head aimed down at his phone. Though Goku’s not sure how he can be reading anything if his eyes are still closed.

 

Vegeta’s son doesn’t look up as he makes his way to the coffee maker. The two Saiyans hold their breaths watching him with increasingly reddening faces. They weren’t naked anymore at least, only because Vegeta had smartly insisted they put _something_ on before going inside to eat. Still, their current position was nothing short of precarious and this was NOT how Vegeta planned on telling his children. In fact this had been _exactly_ the situation he was hoping to avoid.

 

They watch Trunks fumble for a mug then barely succeed in pouring half a cup, nodding off the whole time. Goku’s eyes dart back to Vegeta trying to figure out if he should IT them, or maybe just himself, but his hands were still trapped underneath Vegeta’s legs and the older Saiyan was not moving. So they continue sit there in the dark kitchen, partially wrapped around each other seeing if maybe they could get away with waiting this one out. Maybe he would sleep walk out right out the way he came and be none the wiser.

 

They watch Trunks pull a bottle out of the fridge that was definitely not creamer and fill the empty half of his cup. The mug makes it all the way to his lower lip before his brows furrow and he slowly turns his head toward the two figures next to him.

 

 _So much for coffee._ The mug was now in about a hundred thousand pieces after slipping right out of his hand onto the floor. There is a long endless silence that is only broken when a small bot zooms in and begins trying to make it’s way around Trunks’ bare feet collecting the shattered ceramic pieces of his current understanding of the situation.

 

Trunks’ mouth drops open just a little and his hand is still raised to his face holding a now nonexistent cup as Goku quickly awkwardly distances himself from Vegeta instinctively reaching his hand behind his head.

 

“H-hey… Trunks…”

 

Trunks’ arm lowers as his father slides off the counter and crosses his arms refusing eye contact.

 

“Go- ….?” Trunks takes a moment to shake the sleep out of his head, “Hold on. Let's- let's try this again.” He turns around and exits the way he came. Vegeta and Goku have just enough time to exchange glances before he reenters the room a moment later and flips on the lights leaving them no room to hide.

 

He addresses his father first. “Good morning, dad.” Bright blue eyes then immediately drill into the now extremely embarrassed face of the taller Saiyan. "Goku. I wasn't just dreaming. Wonderful. Good morning to you too, then. ...What the fuck are you doing here?"

 

Vegeta mutters something to Goku Trunks doesn’t quite catch "I'm sorry, WHAT WAS THAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE GIANT ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM." He cups a hand behind his ear for sarcastic emphasis. He pauses and waits for either party to respond but they remain silent. The half shuts his eyes and rubs at his temples. “...Goku.”

 

The named Saiyan smiles awkwardly.

 

“Clearly you are just… bursting at the seams to tell me what you’re doing with my dad in the FUCKING KITCHEN at five thirty in the morning, but if you wouldn’t mind, I think my dad's right. I need to talk with him first. ...Alone.”

 

Goku laughs uncomfortably and looks at Vegeta who is wordlessly screaming at him to stay. Goku raises two fingers to his forehead anyway. It takes him a few moments to decide who he should lock onto but after a very uncomfortable quiet he disappears leaving Vegeta, who was half tempted to reach out and grab him so he could disappear too, alone with his son.

Trunks snaps at his father as soon as the other Saiyan leaves. “What the fuck did I just see?! Because it LOOKED LIKE you were about to f- no, _get_ fucked by _Goku_ on the coun-”

 

“Watch your mouth, boy!”

 

Trunks rolls his eyes with a snort, “Am I wrong?”

 

Vegeta leans back arms crossed even tighter and doesn't say anything.

 

“Are- are you serious?! You and…. And _Goten’s_ _dad_ are-”

 

Vegeta's eyes flash dangerously towards his son. His posture stays rigid and uncomfortable as he nods curtly and finally admits. “Yes. Kakarot and I… are… we’re...” He struggles to find the right word, “complicated.”

 

“Compli- Yeah! No shit! First your arch enemies, next he's trying to hook up with you in our kitchen! And- and isn’t he married?!”

 

He shrugs his shoulders in irritation, “I don’t know, apparently not.”

 

“You don't know.” he shakes his head. “Great. Well, were you planning on telling anyone? How long- Fuck, I mean, what exactly- I don’t even know where to begin- does Goten know? Is that why he’s been so-”

 

“So what?!” Annoyed embarrassment suddenly shifts to something threatening and even though his father is quite short, he had a particular way of being extraordinarily intimidating when he bared his teeth in a snarl.

 

“N-nothing.” Trunks puts his hands up defensively, “He’s-he’s just been… off… lately.” _Since your fight-_

 

“I do not know what is _wrong_ with _Goten._ His problems are his own.” Vegeta spits out venomously before trying to reclaim composure, “Do not mention that name in this house again. He is not welcome here.”

 

Trunks reels back. “What? Why not?! He’s my-”

 

“I don’t care! Because I said so!” Vegeta growls out. 

 

He briefly reflects on where the last time he brought this up with his father got him and reluctantly lets the subject drop. _You are never going to to tell me what you two fought about, are you? but now I’m guessing he didn’t take the news_ “Well, fine, whatever-” he re-focuses on the more pressing concern, “what about…what about everything else? I mean, honestly dad, I never thought you'd date again, let alone date… a guy?” Trunks tilts his head curiously “..........you like guys?”

 

“Tch! Don’t be ridiculous. We're not ‘dating’ and I don’t _like_ anyone.” His son dead pans while Vegeta’s face crimsons.

 

“Yeah, ok. Well, whatever you wanna call it ...how… how long has this” Trunks gestures to the countertop they’d been caught on, “… been going on?”

 

“Since-” he hesitates and looks at his son’s bright blue eyes, “since yesterday.” He says quietly.

 

“Yesterday? Really? But what abo-?”

 

“Yes. Really! Are you done asking questions?”

 

 _“_ No.” Vegeta is unamused by his son's response, “...Not even close.”

 

“Well, I am tired of answering them. It is a private matter and none of your con-”

 

“HA!” Trunks lets out a hollow laugh, “Fuck that. I just walked in on it! It’s public now. So, I’m pretty sure it is my concern.”

 

“No! It is not! I’m not discussing this with you-”

 

Trunks meets his father’s glare with one he inherited from his mother. “Did you ever stop to think whether or not it matters if you want to talk about it? Your problems don’t just affect you! How do you not get that? How does it not cross your mind that you not communicating your fucking ISSUES makes my life hard too?! Especially,” His father opens his mouth to interrupt but Trunks silences him, “No! I’m not done! Especially, when I have to pull my sister back from school so she can help me spend days trying to shut down a piece of equipment you turned into a suicide trap before it fucking blows you and half the stupid city up! Only for Magic-Fucking-Disappearing-Man, who as far as I know hasn't even talked to you since he came back, to show up and make a scene! And now you’re banging!? IN THE KITCHEN?! WHERE I EAT!? REALLY, Dad! It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to talk about it! Your inability to deal with your own bullshit still affects me!”

 

He was so close to snapping. He'd never snapped on Trunks. On either of his children. They'd never given him reason too. But here he was wondering if he might just have a stroke from how hard he's working to repress the urge to just fucking lose it and not deal with any of this. Vegeta grits his teeth together for a few moments and Trunks can see his jaw working, grinding on itself with stress taking a long time to come to terms with what is being demanded from him and Trunks is not having it.

 

“Well?” Trunk pushes. “What’s going on? Are you enemies? Are you rivals? Are you dating? You’re obviously fucking. But Is it serious? Is he staying? Does he need to stay? Do you want him to stay? Is this just some Saiyan thing you haven’t told me about? What’s the fucking deal? and why-"

 

 _Inhale. Exhale. Fuckiiinnnggg breath. He's your son. and... He's right._ Vegeta lets out an irritated explosive huff of air that brings an abrupt and necessary end to Trunks' machine gun fire of questions, “I don’t! Know! I don’t know. I haven’t asked if… he wants to stay.”

 

“Well, you should ask then, because I kinda need to know that, dad, I live here too. Kami, it’s like you’ve been losing your damn mind since he… got… back…” the cogs in Trunks head begin to shift into gear now that he’s fully awake. “Yesterday.” _This whole fucking mess has been going on for months. Kami, even your fight with Goten was months ago! But how could this have been going on for so fucking long if-_ He nods his head with a sigh, “This started before he left, didn’t it?” _Before mom died..._

 

Vegeta hears the deeper question behind what his son is asking as he finally looks at him. Vegeta thinks his son, both his children really,  are far too brilliant and too beautiful for their own good, just like her. They were also strong and too stubborn, like himself. It had always been difficult to lie to them. Vegeta’s shoulders and face drop as he admits fault. He doesn’t know what else to say. “...I’m… sorry.”

 

In his twenty five years of life, Trunks has never heard his father say those words. Not to him, not to anyone. It catches Trunks off guard and takes him a few moments to recollect his thoughts. He notices there is a stack of plates in the sink other than his own for the first time in weeks and smiles softly.

 

“...I know you are. … Just… please. For once, talk to me.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait and it's so short :((( the uh, I'll just call them the 'meanwhile-chapters' have been giving me enormous issue. Trunks has been a difficult character to write. :( ah well, luckily there's only one more 'meanwhile' coming and then it's back to fun fun time with Goten in ch 36. It's looking like this fic will be under 40 chapters total! :O I think it'll be a nice even 39 depending how those last couple scenes tie up. Yikes! We'll see!


	36. Psycho Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku gets some advice on how to deal with the stress of being caught in a new relationship.

Goku is not expecting the heavy volume of a quantum electrical theory textbook to smash into his face and as a result he topples over a stack of books with titles he can barely pronounce.

“WHO THE HELL- oh. Hi Goku.” Bra stands over him with a bright smile then offers him a hand up, “You’re a hot mess.” As he stands and brushes himself off she can’t help but notice, “Are those… my father’s clothes?”

“Huh?” he looks down at the blue tank top that was just a few sizes too small and gym shorts that hugged his hips a little tighter than was comfortable but certainly didn’t do him any aesthetic disfavor, “Oh, yeah.” He blushes. “Mine were…” _torn apart,_ “still soaked from the rain.” He mumbles quietly.

 _I knew it had gone well but that is an unexpectedly good sign. Oh, ‘Ten. This is just so great, I can’t wait until you wake up! We have SO much to talk about!_ “And… did he break your nose? Or did I just do that?”

Goku runs his fingers across the bridge of his nose and finds that it is still sensitive and not quite straight. He tweaks it back in place with the palm of his hand then inhales experimentally through it a few times. “No. It was broken before...” His words drop off as he peers curiously behind her at her laptop which she promptly shuts. “What’s that?”

“Ohh, nothing interesting. Just a… pet project of mine …. you _really_ should text me before-” she waves her hand at him, “showing up all spooky-like behind me. I could have been conducting _experiments_ for all you know.” Her eyes flash with something implacably mischievous that unsettles Goku. “You don’t want to lose an arm do you?”

“No, ha ha.” He rubs his cheek where the book hit him, ... _she’s joking, right?_   “Sorry.”

She smiles not quite pleasantly, “Well, not that I don’t absolutely looove company at my early morning study sessions, but” She begins to close all of the books on her desk, “I have a feeling you don’t know much about artificial power throttling a bioelectric generator.”

“Heh. No, I don’t think I know anything about… that.”

“That just might be the understatement of the year.” She sits up on the table, “So what’s up? You here to tell me how excited you are to be my new step dad or what?”

“I- wha-?” he immediately flusters, “no- that’s- I’m not- I don’t- you think Vegeta would-?”

“I’m teeaasing. Don’t lose your mind, but yes, maybe- it doesn’t matter. Why are you here?”

“Because…” his face turns an even deeper shade of red, “because Trunks, uh-”

She cuts him off, “Trunks?! What do you mean Trunks?! Oh god what did my brother doo?!

“Nothing… really. Me and Vegeta were… just eating…”  He laughs nervously, “But then... we weren’t. And- I don’t know. He walked in and... ” He feels his face heat up despite the cool, still air, “dropped his coffee.”

She takes several moments to process the information. “You- Wow.” she clicks her tongue, “In the kitchen? That is just… wow.”

“Yeah, so I left…”

She stares at him in disbelief, “You just _left_ my father alone to explain-? OOh my god. You are the WORST boyfriend ever! How could you do that to him?”

“I’m not! Am I?” He says with a mild panic in his voice. “Trunks asked me to leave. So I thought-”

“And you listened to that idiot? You are! My poor papa! He’s probably having a stroke right now because I don’t know if you’ve ever talked to Trunks, but he has like... _a lot_ of feelings and, uhg, Goku! You _know_ how my father is with _feelings!_ ”

“Sorry! I didn’t know where else to go to. Gohan, he’s not- I don’t know. and-” he hesitates then tries to force a reassuring smile she does not return.  “… you were awake and I thought... you’re smart! You’d know what to do.”

She lets out a long irritated sigh aimed up at her bangs before finally acknowledging his compliment. “Thank you, but you don’t have to keep telling me, you’ve already SOMEHOW weaseled your way into my good graces.” _I was really hoping to break this all to Trunks little by little._ “Uhg… At least you gave me a warning before he calls me completely wasted in about-” she looks at her watch, “I give it fifteen minutes.” Then glares at him.

Goku frets silently before asking, “Should I go back? He's your brother, he’ll understand, right? That Vegeta and I-? But he- I think he was upset, maybe we should just leave because- or- or- Why is everyone so-?”

“Goku. Goku!" She snaps her fingers at him. He looks up at her with a tortured expression on his face. “Stop. I get that your fucked up little family has made this whole situation an absolute nightmare for you, but-”

“Gohan wasn’t… mad...”

“I bet he was disappointed though, wasn’t he?”

“...he said he was glad I told him… and also that me and Vegeta broke up.”

She throws her head back, “Oh, that is so classic Gohan. Probably dressed it up as support and concern too, gross.” Goku’s face flashes with sad confirmation, “Yeah, it’s a trend with him. Trust me, I know. Trunks and Pan piss him off to no end and I get to hear all about it; that’s beside the point. Trunks is… he’s...” she motions her hand in a circle, “he’s… not like that. Just imagine… me… but not as smart obviously and... purple and… if… I solved all my problems by working and drinking myself to death, I don’t know, he’s- honestly, we’re just going to have to wait and see. But you in the meantime” she glares at him seriously, “are _not_ going to run away. Definitely _not_ with my father in tow. Disappearing didn’t solve your problems last time and it won’t this time either, alright?”

He pauses thoughtfully before nodding in agreement. It is only after that extremely short moment of reflection he has the wherewithal to take in his surroundings. He notices just how dark the library Vegeta’s daughter has decided to camp in, is. There may have been over a thousand characters in the room, but only two of them were breathing. “...Is this… where… are we allowed to be here?”

“Goku, priorities. Really? Whether or not the library is open? Not important right now. Buuut since you don't seem very interested in pursuing the shelves for me-” She begins neatly packing all of her color coordinated belongings away into a matching book bag, “how about we go get something to eat while we wait for my brother call and have a total meltdown about being scared for life, ok?”

She stashes the books she can fit into her bag, “Here, take these.” and thrusts the rest into Goku’s arms before leading him out through an open window on the fifth floor and then to a nearby coffee shop where she orders them the same drink, which Goku decides doesn't taste very much like coffee. It was much _much_ better so much so that it justified ordering four more.

 

“These are- this is one of the best things I've ever tasted!” he sucks down the last of the sweet iced drink.

She smirks and sips on her own, “Well, I’m glad you got your fill because they’re only selling it for a few more weeks.”

“What? Why?!” He’s about to get up and order _just one more,_ when she pulls on his arm to sit back down.

“Because they sell an even better one in the fall. Leave some for the rest of humanity, will you?”

“Better?”

“Yeah, remind me and I promise I’ll get you a dozen.”

He stays standing, looks at the register then back at her. “...Two dozen.”

“Are you- are you trying to bargain with me? No! Sit down. I come here regularly. Don’t make it weird by ordering them out of stock before 6am.”

He resists and narrows his eyes, “Two… dozen.”

“Oh my god. You are- fine! Whatever! Two dozen!” He finally sits back down with a smug grin. “Uhg. I get why my father wanted to kill you.”

 _You aren’t the only one…_ He furrows his brows, “I forgot to tell you… I used the ki band.”

“Oh?” _I know~_

“Yeah…. and now... I can’t sense him.” his expression twists with discomfort, “He’s not- he’s- ...I know he’s not in otherworld but ...This has never happened before. I should still be able to sense him.”

She knew this was coming and keeps sipping slowly trying to work out an answer to keep his worry at bay, “No, not… necessarily.” She sets the cup down and taps her nails on the table. “It’s a ki dampener. He’d have almost no signature whatsoever.”

“But I’m really good at sensing ki.” He asserts confidently.

“I am aware of that, but we’re also talking about _my_ invention. Pair _my_ invention with a little distance and perhaps a bit of, ‘I don’t wanna be found’ and I’m sure even you’d be limited, hm?”

“Distance? But where-”

“Honestly Goku, you of all people should be somewhat aware of the options for an emotionally distressed Saiyan. It’s not like he’s never left planet before. It’s been a while, sure,” _and I’m pretty sure he's only ever left with Trunks,_ “but… uh, you know how he gets.” She gestures to his still healing nose.

“Leave… planet?”

She shrugs her shoulders and takes another sip, “Like father, like so-”

His open palm smacks down on the table just hard enough to cause the empty cups to fall over. “He is _nothing_ like me.” Goku says not loud enough to draw attention, but it is clear there is no room for argument. It’s hard to miss the sudden pang of anger and hurt searing through him that he was trying to hide.

She didn’t think comparing them would draw as strong a reaction out of Goku as it did. Or, she was hoping it wouldn't. That’s why she said it. Something had changed. Something was different. He knew something she didn’t. Whatever Goten had been lying about, he found out. She knew as soon as she saw Goten have his pathetic breakdown on capsule corp property. But she was hoping it hadnt been this bad.

She had many theories about how her favorite unstable half saiyan had interfered and Goku's reaction just now had helped her narrowed it down to the top three worst possibilities. She decides there is a little research to do before she talked to Goten. She watches Goku carefully struggling to fit all the plastic cups back on the small table between them and tries to play it off, “I’m… You’re right. You’re not like him. But… you get what I’m saying?”

“No." he answers stiffly, "I do not get what you’re saying. He’s not-”

“Hold that thought.” She pulls out a buzzing phone and smiles, “let's find out if you're allowed back at Capsule Corp any time soon.” He shoots her a devastated look, “kidding- I’m kidding! I'm sure it's fine." she puts the phone up to her ear, "Hey favorite broth-”

  
“Oh, OH my fuckin-! I am so glad you picked up! You will NOT BELIEVE what just happened- I swear, I COULD NOT make this shit up bra- I could NOT! Fuck! you are NOT going to believe what I just saw!”

She winks at Goku and motions for him to lean in so he can hear, “Try me.”

“Ok so, you’re going to need to rework that wack theory of yours because- I shit you the fuck not, Goku and dad………….” he pauses for dramatic effect, “are fucking!” he waits for her to respond.

“Noo...” She tilts her head and smirks at Goku who is blushing profusely.

“YES! They’re- I swear, I swear! Dad said it himself. They’ve been sleeping together for like YEARS, Bra! DECADES! AND I just fucking witnessed it and- and- fuck! I didn’t even get my coffee- I don’t even WANT coffee anymore and- what… what’s going on? You’re not screaming. Why aren’t you screaming? B? Did you fall over dead? (oh my god I’ve killed my sister from shock).”

She rolls her eyes, “You know, all in all Trunksie, I’m impressed because you seem to be taking this really well. You’re not even wasted. Or crying.”

“Me?! You don’t even sound surpris- oh. Oh FUCK YOU, how long have YOU known!? Was I the only one?!! How the hell did you find out?”

“You might’ve been, but it doesn’t really matter now. And Goku told me when I went to cloud city or wherever the hell he was.”

Goku eyebrows quirk with question but she holds a finger up urging him to stay quiet.

“And you didn't tell me?!”

“I was going to.”

“When?!”

“When I thought you wouldn't lose your mind over it.”

“I'm not- you-” he grumbles, “I'm not losing my mind. I just woke up to literally the last thing I ever expected, in MY LIFE, to see. So THANKS for not keeping me posted on all the _happenings_ in our house that I might just WALK IN ON!”

“You’re welcome. Anyway, how’s dad?”

“I don’t know,  he’s…” he sighs, “he seems better.… I kind of managed to corner him. He wouldn't go into detail, but I guess this has been a thing. For a while. And he wants it to continue.  ...What did Goku tell you?”

“Uh, pretty much the same thing except with a lot more crying involved. He’s a good guy. I think we can trust him. He did drag papa out of the gravity chamber after all.”

Goku starts, “I didn’t cry-!”

“Shh!” ‘you did!’ she mouths at him.

“Yeah…” Trunks continues, “but why was he in there in the first place, you know? and-”

“Wow, I don't know, it’s like dad is terrible at handling interpersonal relationships or something. Who could have guessed?” Trunks snorts at her comments, “And just so I have it on the record, Goku’s not going to have to brave our upgraded security system is he?”

“What? No. I don’t even thin- They’re Saiyans Bra, they’re gonna do whatever they want. So long as they don’t fuck in my goddamn lab, or in the KITC- Wait- ….Is he-? He’s next to you isn’t he?”

“Yup.”

“He disappeared to _you_? What are you guys like best friends now too or something?”

“Pretty much.”

“I hate you so much sometimes. HE’S IN THE GR BUT HOW ABOUT YOU USE THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.” He shouts to Goku. “That disappearing thing is fuckin’ spooky. Dad's terrible with that kinda shit.”

“Right?!” She rolls her eyes at the Saiyan smiling at her ecstatically. She waves him as he stands abruptly and makes his way towards the door. “Well, Trunks” she watches him leave and take off, “I'm sure we're gonna have have a big family pow wow about this at a later date but I'm actually- I’ve got plans. SO, I’m gonna let you go~”

“Shit, wait, did Goku just leave?"

"Yeah, why-"

"Because where the fuck is ‘Ten? I can’t find him, I've been trying to reach him-”

“I don’t know. Why are you asking me, dumb dumb?!"

"Ahg, I wanted to ask Goku and I can't do that if he comes back here and dad's around."

"Well you missed your chance and that's not my problem. Besides he’s your friend, you were the one who was supposed to keep tabs on him. He obviously didn’t take this as well as you did.”

“Yeah! I know! What’s his fucking deal? Dad nearly snapped my neck when I brought up him up! And, you know what, on that note, can I just add that it is really fucking weird how much he and Goku look alike? and- wait" his voice drops, "wait, you don’t think ‘Ten is-”

“It’s anyone’s guess I imagine! Don’t hurt yourself thinking about it, ok? It’s the mysterious fucking Goten. No one knows what goes on in that head of his.” _But I’m gonna find out ❤_

She can hear him hesitating over his words for a few moments then give up and sigh. “Fuck it, you’re right. I'm done with Capsule Corp right now. I’m taking another personal day. See Pan or something, I don’t know.”

“Ok, well you do that and I’m just gonna stay back at school and catch up on all my missed classes now that everything seems to be back to uh... Saiyan standards of normal. I’ll talk to you la-”

“Wait, wait if you hear anything let me know, ok? PLEASE? I kind of need to know these things! I’m the one who lives here!”

“Byyyyeee best brother~” She taps her phone and pulls out another one that was not encased in sparkling rhinestones that swirled into cute shapes. This one was all black. It had hardly anything in or on it of interest so she scrolls through the messages again.

 

Gohan

 

Where are you?

 

Are you ok?

 

Are you still sparring?

 

Why is dad at capsule corp? Are you there too? He’s not picking up my calls.

 

Goten! Pick up the phone!

 

She smiles at her own message sent in response hours ago.

 

Goten

 

no im not. fuck off

 

 _Short and sweet._ And she must have said the right thing because Gohan’s curiosity was suddenly satisfied. That or his frustration with his little brother had reached its limit. Because he didn’t call again. Or message him. And she was fairly certain she could at least trust one of the Son’s to not just appear wherever he wanted whenever he wanted.

 

Trunks was a little more persistent. Though she doesn’t bother responding to the eighteen calls the phone would receive from Trunks over the next few hours. Or the thirty odd messages loaded with questions and annoying sentiments about friendship. _Aw, ‘Ten, it’s like he’s the only one who even cares about you._

 

Trunks wasn't the only one though because he does, much later, receive a single message from someone else. She has to cross check it with her own contacts to verify who it is because Goten hadn’t saved the number despite there being a long history of messages between them in the last few months that made it easy to guess who it was.

 

(Unmarked Number)

 

Where r u?

  
She leaves that one alone too.

\---

  


Goku made several stops on his way back. He searched the area where they had sparred, but the only trace of his son he found where the craters they had blasted during their spar. The rain had washed away any hope of trying to track him. He searches the wasteland and previous places they had spared but everything was turning up empty. He avoids Gohan’s house and his calls and sends only one message to his other son before eventually making his way back to Capsule Corp. He doesn’t know how the day escaped him, but it did. It is dark as he makes his way upstairs and he hesitates at the door with Vegeta’s ki behind it.

He debates knocking, then just turns the knob and walks in. Vegeta shifts slightly.

“You’re back.” he mumbles.

“Yeah.” He strips off the shirt and shorts and makes his way over to the bed which… wasn’t a first for them, but Goku’s pretty sure he could count the number of times they’ve shared an actual bed on one hand, this being one of them. Usually they were in the grass, or the floor, or a table, or- it never mattered much where they were, but they had certainly never been together on this particular bed and he takes a moment to let that sink in.

He finds a comfortable position under the covers and stares up at the ceiling feeling the warm ki next to him wondering if this is all really happening. Vegeta turns towards him and lays an arm across him.

“Are you staying?” He says, sleep still clinging to his words.

“...Unless you wanna go somewhere else.”

“Hn… Maybe… another time…”

Goku presses his nose into Vegeta’s hair and notices it is still damp. He suddenly finds it so hard to resist the challenge of convincing Vegeta to work up a sweat right after a shower.

Turns out it wasn’t much of a challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the Bra-Goku interaction I've been waiting to write. The first two really didn't feel right but this- ahhh finally. 
> 
> And if you're wondering why Trunks is so nonchalant, I sort of had a background reason for this that I just couldn't find a way to work in, ultimately bra was going to ask something like, "this doesn't bother you?" and his response was something along the lines of, "It would be kind of shitty for me to hold this against him twenty years late, don't you think? After everything? Besides, Pan and I cheat on each other all the time. Maybe it's just a Saiyan thing." 
> 
> grrr the ending bothers me a little. awkward. doesn't flow. The final text message was the better ending, but I wanted to give you guys a little closure on Goku's day. so there it is.


	37. So Close. So Far.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, and with the help of a trusted friend, Goten comes to terms with the consequences of his actions.

 

Day 3

 

He hasn’t heard from her yet. Or anyone. He can't feel anyone either. He doesn’t know how long he’s been here, or where he is if he’s very far away, maybe even a different planet, but he suspects, wherever he is, it’s been a few days now. He has at least been sitting under the icy water of the shower for a several hours and now he was shaking, not shivering, shaking.

He sat there under the water because he couldn’t sleep. Wouldn’t sleep. Didn't want to sleep. His dreams were making him sick with self hatred. There were several capsules of capsule quality food but he can’t hold anything down, not that he was hungry to begin with. He was sure the band was poisoning him. Even though that fuzzy pleasant feeling it gave him was absent when he came back to consciousness, he was sure it was still messing with his head, his nerves, his dreams, making him sick. _Never should have messed with any of her inventions to begin with_ . _Never should have trusted her._

He runs his hands through his sopping wet locks and pulls as hard as he can trying to mute the humiliating heat he feels in his body right now, the residual discomfort from his dream, with pain. Water is beginning to pool on the floor of the small bathroom because at some point he’d torn down the curtain and the railing that held it. Shattered the mirror too. Hated it. Seeing his face.

His teeth are beginning to chatter as he hugs his knees to his chest when he hears her voice come through on an intercom he can’t locate. He stands up in his soaking clothes and exits the bathroom to look for the source of her voice.

“Gooooo~tennn? GOOOTENN? WHERRE AREEE YO- There you are! Finally!”

He steps out into a small windowless reinforced concrete room that had been made barely livable. His eyes immediately find the wall with her bubbly blue face projected on it, or through it, he wasn’t sure and he approaches it slowly.

She sighs dramatically “I’m sorry it’s been so long! I’ve just had sooo much to do, ‘Ten you won’t beliiiieev what’s been happened while you’ve been ….” her eyes search the room, “destroying the place! Oh my god ‘ten! What did you do to the walls?!” He looks behind him at the shallow cracks he managed to produce then down at his swollen bloodied fractured knuckles. “It hasn't even been a week you know!”

He remains silent and she clicks her tongue with a smirk, “Well, while you’ve been having a temper tantrum and… trying to freeze to death, which, isn’t going to work by the way” she narrows her eyes at him, “I have been doing a little research to find out what you’ve been up to these last few months!” She waits for him to respond but he never does. “I’ve just been SoOoOo curious since our last little talk, you know, the one where you threatened me and burned the split ends off my gorgeous hair? You remember that? Well, all that talk about our dads getting caught on tape gave me an idea. So, amidst all the chaos this week I went down into the main security archives and pulled up every single video footage of our house for the last year. It’s a little extra, I know, but you know how I am.”

He tilts his head curiously at where this is going.

“Now, since all of the old gravity room archives were deleted, uhg, that's my fault, we only have feed from the cameras in the hallways and the entertainment rooms we use for parties and exhibitions, but still I figured there HAD to be something and...  THERE WAS!” She says bursting with excitement.

Another screen comes to life on the wall adjacent to the one with her face on it. He looks at the footage being cast across it.

“It took days to go through it all, even after narrowing it to just footage with your familiar face. Uhg, just staring at screens for hours and hours waiting for you to do SOMETHING other than sulk through the halls and eat all our food. You are so boring… except…” he feels a sweat break out on the back of his neck as he recognizes their main entertainment floor underneath holiday decorum.  “...When you’re not…” She fast forwards to the end of the evening where he is pulled into view of the camera by Bra and feels suddenly very uncomfortable as her presence is replaced by another.

“How- how did you-”

“Sooo much coffee ‘Ten, really the last two weeks have not been good for me. But” she makes a worried slightly disgusted face, “at least I look better than you. ...Have you slept?”

He turns his face away from the screen as Vegeta rejects him.

“Wow, you just… you went in for it didn’t you?” she pauses rewinds and plays it again, then again once he looks back up. “Look at you go… And you know, this is all well and good. It explains why them getting together  _bothered_ you  _sooo_ much _._ I was so happy to find something confirming my theory that you had a thing for my father, which by the way” she snorts, “is so fucked up.”

“I do _not_ have a _thing_ for him.” he mumbles.

She replays it one more time to make him squirm. “Sure, ‘Ten.” The footage cuts out and another area of Capsule Corp. replaces it. “Anyway… I couldn't stop here. It still didn’t explain why he hates you. Clearly he has no interest in you. I don’t know why you think he ever would, you were basically his kid. Not his _favorite_. But still. So, I kept looking. I kept asking myself, why why why would my father beat the living shit out of you? It just didn’t make sense! What could you have possibly done to deserve that? There must be something else. I was sure it was some fight in the gravity room that I couldn't get to but just in case, I checked and rechecked the hallways and main rooms, I went back, I went forward, I went- ...Oh. wait…. What’s this?” She zooms in on the fuzzy video. “720 hp. Fucking ridiculous. We’re billionaires. Can you believe this? Should be 4k.” She shakes her head and squints at the footage on the wall.

His heart was now thumping out of his chest as he watches himself suddenly enter frame wearing orange. Then a few moments later Vegeta struggles to follow suit, guiding himself using the walls, too drunk to stand up properly.

He stutters out a defense that doesn’t get very far, “You… you don’t- you don’t know what- you can’t prove- that isn't-”

“Ok, so, yeah, _technically,_ I have NO idea what happened behind those closed doors, but ‘Ten-’Ten just look at the state of you when you walk out all the way back to your room. It's you alright.” She fast forwards to when he finally exists, holding a torn bloodied shirt in his hand, the other holding up gi pants that barely clung to his hips. He slumps against the hallway with a contented smile breaking through the blood on his face before limping away. That sick feeling was starting to stir in his chest again as she replays his exit over and over and over again in front of him.

She hums, “Was it worth it? Did he fuck you good, ‘Ten?” He shivers and doesn't respond.

“How did he find out? Clearly you had him going for a while. I mean, he let you continue to mope around in our house for months after that. He must have not realized who you really were. And… I'm so curious. How did you know? Like, my dad has always pinged my gaydar a _little_ but I kind of figured it was because he was alien. You know? Who knows what fun he had out there in space before Earth.”

Goten doesn’t say a word.

She lets out a cackle of laughter, “I guess you don’t have to tell me. I don’t really care. The point is, they’re madly in love and-”

He snorts and rolls his eyes. The interruption was so rude it stops her in her tracks, “What?”

“Love? _Love?_ He _hates_ my father. Vegeta is a sadistic manipulative asshole using my father's pathetically naive understanding of the world just so he can have power over him because he could never beat him in a fight. I would know. I f-”

She stutters through her smile for a moment, then breaks into full blown laughter. “Ohhhh oh no.” she pauses and assess his sincerity, “oh, ‘Ten, your self delusion is just sooo endearing. I wish you could see them now...” she pouts and twiddles her hair for a moment, “Oh! Wait! You can!” she lets out a squeal of laughter, “it's like… I forgot all about why you're down here!”

“What?”

“Yeah! Because despite all your efforts to both literally and figuratively fuck my father, ” she sighs romantically, “he and Goku made up! AND! It gets better! We're soooo lucky ‘ten! Ask me why. Ask me why were so lucky!”

“...No.”

“Because they made up in the gravity~ room~!" she sing songs. "Just like I hoped. I don't know what significance that place has for them, but it REALLY works out for us. Do you know why?"

He very slowly shakes his head.

“Because ‘Ten, it meansss….. you get to watch! Isn't that great?”

His face drops and he feels all the blood drain from his body.

“Yes, 'Ten! Watch! Because you seem SO invested in making yourself apart of their relationship, I thought I would do you this small favor. And guess what?

His mouth moves in the form of a question but no sound comes out.

“While Trunks and my father were busy last week arguing over what the new safety protocols should be in the Gravity Chamber, I fixed the audio on the cameras!! I fixed it all up! I may not have old footage to torment you with, but this! This is even better! Now you can actually _hear_ how deeply _in love_ they are with each other! I have to say though, I didn’t actually watch it; I'm just assuming from Goku's choice in outfit the following day that this is exactly what I think it is. I have respect for their privacy after all, unlike you.”

He hears her tapping on a keyboard and another feed pop up on the adjacent wall replacing the footage of himself. “I've just been SO busy these last few days, getting ready for this. Oh, ‘Ten, I hope you appreciate my effort!"

He watches his father suddenly appear in the gravity room on the screen to his left, "wh- no- Bra- no don't- no no no no- don't make me- don’t leave me here-” he presses his hands to the wall and slams his palms against it. “NO! NO! NO! NO! "

“Yes! Yes! Yes! YES! ‘Ten!”

He starts screaming, “Turn it off! TURN IT OFF!”

“No, ‘Ten-’Ten, I think, actually it’s really important that you understand just how _wrong_ you are about them.” She hums with a smile as he tries and fails to charge up a ki blast,

“What…. The fuck....” his dark lightless eyes finally find their way back to her. “What… is wrong with you? You can’t… you can’t do this.. I’m- I’m not… Bra this… this isn’t- you can’t keep me here! You can’t-!!” He starts screaming again and slams his fist into the image of his father. The image stays and the wall doesn’t give to his already damaged ki-dampened fist.

“Oooh but I can. Because no one cares about you ‘Ten. You’ve made my job easy and already alienated everyone in your life.”

“No, Trunks, he-”

“You shouldn't have sent him all those mean messages telling him to shut the fuck up and mind his own business then!” she waves his phone in front of the screen and he falters. "I hope you know you’re never leaving this place. You’re never going to hurt my father or antagonize him, or enable my brother, or threaten me, or break Goku's cute nose again. And I should add Goku is just on a stellar campaign right now winning the hearts and minds of everyone at Capsule Corp. faster than I ever thought possible. Really, he is… just super. Except for the disappearing thing, literally no one likes that.” She clicks her tongue, “But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re never going to be a problem ‘Ten. You're never going to bother anyone again."

"AAAHH!! AHHHH YOU CAN'T KEEP ME IN THIS- THIS- FUCK YOU! WHERE AM I?!"

"You don't know where you are?" She furrows her brow, "....You're home! You're in my lab!" She sighs happily, "Where no one can hear you. No one can feel you. You think what I showed you was everything?” her elated grin widens, “Not. Even. Close. You think I could have made what I've made and _tested it_ if you could sense ki from outside my lab? No. No, my brother isn’t stupid. He would have found me out in an instant and let me tell you, he was _not_ happy about the last three lawsuits to come out of here.” she bares her teeth in a frown, “Yikes, those were a little messy. So… obviously my project has been on hold until I found more... uh  _durable_ test subjects. And you. Are. PERFECT! SO, I took the liberty of cleaning up this place. I moved all my fun inventions and bleached the floors. I even gave you a mattress and food. I didn’t have to do all that!” She smiles genuinely, “I’m so good to you! And now! We can play whenever I want! Right underneath Capsule Corp!"

He feels an unusual sense of Vertigo as the room begins to pull away from him but her face seems to grow closer. He knows it’s all in his head but it doesn’t make him feel any less unsettled. “...play?”

“Yes! Play! Because you just seemed so interested in experimenting with my inventions! So much so that you'd steal them and test them on your own! So I've come up with all kinds fun games and tests for you! I've even taken the liberty, while you were knocked out, of getting rid of the sensitivity hieghtner so we don't have _any_ uncontrolled variables. Just you and my device."

"Wh- but you can't- and-"

"I can. And I will. I just don’t have time right now. This is my side project after all. I have _real_ work to do. So, while I'd _really_ love to stay and chat with you about your daddy issues and all the fucked up shit you been doing, because, well, it does endlessly amaze me you were able to get as far as you did, I'm busy~ I have OTHER places to be. I have school work to catch up on! And a new member of my family to get to know! How exciting! SO, I'm just going to leave you alone with your thoughts for awhile. Oh, and them. It's on a loop cycle, just in case you miss something the first time eight times. Byyyyyeeee." She blows him a kiss.

His eyes widen, “Wait, Bra don’t-” the transmission cuts out and her face disappears leaving him alone with…

He turns his head to the other screen where Vegeta is all but begging for Goku to fuck him.

“...”

  


Day 8

 

His arm is outstretched in front of him and he can see tiny sparks of his ki working their way through his fingers. It is excruciating. He has been trying to power up for days. Trying to overload the band which was now so hot it was in contact with his bone. It radiates white hot waves of heat but still wouldn’t break. He is so close to giving up. But not yet. _Not yet._

“Oh 'Teennn”  His arm drops and he exclaims painfully as he hears her voice come through and he knows her face is now on the wall behind him, “Did I forget to tell you? I solved the overheating problem! Just like you wanted!”

He turns to face her. “Yeah! I solved it a while ago and I’ve been waiting for you to do this so we could really explore the physics of heat transfer. Do you know much about heat transfer?”

He shakes his head already very aware of where this is going to go.

“Good! It’ll be a surprise then!”

There is a sudden explosion of heat inside his body. “I found that the easiest way, was to just, pull that energy out of the band and send it right back into the wearer. Not as ki of course, but as heat! Humans are pretty good conductors, you know. Now, the downside is, this would never actually work with a human, they’d probably die! But you’re Saiyan. So … I don’t know, we’re testing Saiyan parameters here. Let's see how much you can take!”

Goten starts screaming and immediately tears off his shirt. His skin is on fire and he rushes to the shower and turns the water on as cold as possible but heat and burning agony is still coursing through him.

He can hear her reading out numbers from the other room. “Body temperature 103, 105, 108, 115, wow ten! That’s pretty high! This must be what my father felt like while he was locked in the overheated gravity chamber!”

Water begins to turn to steam against his skin and he seizes before losing consciousness.

  


Day 17

  


“Fuck you! FUCK YOU! I refuse to do that! I’d rather fucking kill myself! And then I’ll be in other world and I can tell everyone what you’ve been doing to me!”

“Ooooh ‘Ten, I think you’ll find that’s a little hard to do” she says with an exaggerated frown. “And besides, I haven’t done anything. It's all your ki. If anything, I’ve been doing you a favor. I’m basically protecting you from my father who I’m pretty sure, based on how he reacts to just your name, will kill you on site. So, keeping you here… it’s actually pretty nice of me.”

He bolts to the bathroom and picks up one of the glass shards of the broken mirror, then returns facing her irritating blue face on the screen with it held up to his neck.

“You sadistic spiteful bitch! I’m not going to live as your captive! I'm sick and tired of these fucking tests! This is fucking torture! You can’t-”

“It's not torture if it's for science, ‘Ten! Everyone knows that.” She rolls her eyes as he begins to draw it across his neck and smirks at him.

His hand stops. His body locks up and he falls to the floor from a painful hot series of shocks stemming from the band around his wrist. He can’t get any words out and just writhes for a moment on the floor in front of the screen.

“You are unreasonable and unstable, ‘Ten. You act like I didn’t prepare for this. Kami, you underestimate me.”

He barely succeeds in turning towards her and mumbles something about the pain.

“Well, that’s not my fault. You shouldn’t have put so much of your own ki into my device. The more you try to use, the more it hurts. I thought you would have figured that out by now…” She lets out a huff of disappointment.

“I’ll just do it later. When you’re not looking.”

“Well, I might applaud your efforts except… besides ki transfer, which we have been learning is _very painful_ , that cute band also tells me all kinds of things about you!” She waves her phone at him, “It sends me alerts and vitals and really, if I could get Trunks to stop being such a pussy about ki tech, it could save lives like it just saved yours. Even humans have ki. Just not very much. But maybe you're right! I should encourage you to try, and we’ll just call it a test in my response time.”

He groans and begins to pull himself upright. “What do you want from me?” He slurs.

“Nothing, really. I don’t know. Entertainment. I’m always bored. We’ll see. Maybe this experiment will run its course and I’ll just… throw you to the wolves. Let our fathers deal with you. But for now, you are... just as exciting as ever, ‘Ten. And I'm getting a lot of good data out of this.”

He collapses back on the floor with a sigh, “Whatever. I’ll just starve myself to death then.” _Don’t ever want to eat anything anyway._ “You can’t force me to eat.”

“Oh! You're right... See? You keep my life full of interesting problems that require creative solutions!”

He throws her a sarcastic sneer and continues to lay sprawled out on the floor.

  
  


Day 22

  


He eventually solves his own hunger crisis. He forces himself to hold food down. He needs energy. As much of it as he can get. If he wants to escape, he has to have energy. He inhales shakily not quite ready, but he’d never be ready for something like this. Whatever pain relieving effects there were, she was right, had disappeared and he was left with this constant feeling irritation under his skin he could never seem to get rid of. But at this point he was willing to grit his teeth through just about anything to escape her. He looks down at his ki banded hand which he has flat against the sink counter in the bathroom then at his other which holds the metal rod that used to hold up a shower curtain. He exhales as he brings it down.

He can hear Bra’s voice suddenly come in. “Ten!? Ten where are you? You’re heart rate is through the fucking roof what are you doing? Uhg! Please not another suicide attempt, it’s getting annoying!”

He looks at his shattered palm and quickly begins trying to work the band off and around all the crushed broken bones crunching and grinding together. He finally lets out an agonized gasp as he begins to tear it from the skin and tendons left around his wrist it has melted to. Hot tears run down his face and it is almost past the misshapen knuckle of his thumb, “just- just a little more- before she-”

He never finishes. And when he wakes up hours later, his hand is no longer broken.

  


Day 27

  


He feels like he’s exhausted nearly every option by now. He’s tried overloading it, punching his way through the walls, killing himself _so many times_ , screaming at the top of his lungs. But Nothing. Nothing has yielded anything more than her howls of sadistic laughter through a screen on the wall. Never once has she stepped foot in this room while he’s been conscious and he can’t figure out where the entrance could even be, he’s checked every wall for holes, cracks, hinges, ... _anything._ But there is nothing. He has, out of pure desperation resorted to something he never thought he'd do. He wasn't even sure if he was doing it right, but it was all he had. His last resort to try and escape the _new_ torment she has developed for him.

 

Every day for the last week she has found a new video of Vegeta and his father doing literally _anything_ together and cast it on the screen in the main room. The gravity chamber footage had been miserable to endure. But he thinks this is worse. Watching them do inane bullshit together. He doesn’t understand how he could be wrong but he was. Vegeta and Goku were _happy_ together. They _loved_ each other. And _it makes me fucking sick._ Though sometimes he still watched, out of self-hatred fueled curiosity if nothing else.  


The current one was Vegeta trying to teach Goku how to play chess. Apparently Trunks had taught him at some point, maybe years ago, and on this thundering rainy afternoon Vegeta decided it would be a worthwhile challenge to try and teach Kakarot something that requires thinking.

 

Goten found it amusing how frustrated Vegeta was getting over his own idea. _Of course he’s not going to get it, Vegeta. He's an idiot.  
_

 

“How does this piece move again?”

“For the hundredth time, it moves in an L shape!” He huffs.

“Like this?”

“Yes, you can do that.” Vegeta says not paying much attention as he should be.

 

Goten watches the video carefully and follows his father’s move. He crosses his arms. “No. Fucking. Way.”

 

“What do you say when you win again?” Goku asks barely holding back his trademark grin.

“Check ma-”

“Check mate!”

Vegeta stares at the board with a scowl. His expression shifts to disbelief, then after a few moments, to anger. “That was luck! You don’t even know how the pieces move!” He flips the board and tackles Goku across the table toppling them over on to the floor. Goten can’t see them on the other side of the low coffee table but from the disgusting laugh Vegeta just elicited from Goku, he has a feeling the anger was short lived. Then the spikes of hair suddenly disappear. And it loops again.

Goten's expression darkens and he slams the door of the bathroom behind him.  


 

_“You know at this point, I don’t even watch anything I put up here. I have it hooked up so anytime the cameras in capsule corp. detect their heat signatures within two feet of each other for more than five minutes, it’ll just feed it through to this room so you can see how happy they are. So you can be reminded how happy you’ll never be.”_

  


He sits there in the dark, in the shower where he usually slept these days, when he could manage to sleep, so he doesn’t have to see the constant video feed playing in the room, and he focuses on remembering those old techniques Gohan attempted to teach him when he was little. He's trying to relearn how to meditate so he can control his heart rate and vitals during pain and stress. He thinks he might be able to try breaking his hand again soon, because he’s getting pretty good at it… Comparatively.

At the moment, he was struggling to block out Vegeta and Goku's voices, their _dumb stupid happy conversations about NOTHING_ so he can focus on the little ball of light in his mind that is his ki. This was so much harder than he remembers it being and he blames it on the band. He could feel his ki just on the edges of his fingertips, but still not quite there, unattainable. Just far enough out of his grasp it might as well have been across the universe. He lets his anger, his frustration with himself, with his situation, with his father, with Vegeta, with Bra, with everything and everyone breaks his concentration and it causes his heart rate to jump. He can feel it thudding just a little higher than usual in his chest. He stops and cries for a few minutes before trying again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might be a hot minute before the //last// two-three chapters are up, my bad. Please bare with me in these trying times. The end is nigh. Ah, as far as justice goes, I know this is too much for some of you and not enough for others... both sides can take joy in that it's not quite over yet? Hopefully everyone will be satisfied by the end. 
> 
> eh, hopefully this made sense.


	38. On the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who says psychological dramas can't have a little good feels fluff?

  
  


Day 4

  
  


Goku’s bare feet pad through the cool linoleum halls of capsule corp until he finds the pantry,  _ third door on the left from the kitchen. _ He begins raiding it of food to take back up to their room for the night until something else catches his attention.

There is another ki nearby. He recognizes it as Trunks and ignores his better instincts to head straight back upstairs with what he’s managed to find. Overladen with food and struggling to fit it all in his arms, he walks over to the kitchen where Trunks is resting his forearms against the sink watching a large clear bottle empty into the drain. The freezer is open and there are several other empty bottles next to him and two that are still full. Trunks looks up, tired and nods before his eyes find chocolate syrup among the food items in Goku’s arms. He smirks and shakes his head.

“Nice.”

Goku looks down not quite sure which thing he was holding provoked that response but blushes all the same and holds it a little tighter. “What are you doing?” He asks curiously.

The half lets out a long sigh before mumbling, “Pan said she’d… give me another chance if I... “ his train of thought comes to a halt as he looks over at Goku’s awkward but friendly demeanor, “actually… while you’re here, I wanted to ask you something.” He stands upright, “Have you talked with Goten recently? Does he know what’s going on? He must, right?”

Goku nods as Trunks searches his face with big blue eyes that reminded Goku of Bulma more than Bra’s did. 

“You did?” his expression breaks into short lived relief, “What did he say? Because I’ve been trying to get a hold of him but-”

Goku struggles with all of the food items in his arms for a moment as an unnaturally somber look drowns his normally dopey grin. “He said… he hates me and then he broke my nose.”

“Oh.”  _ Ok, so he REALLY did not take this well. I’m starting to think I don’t… want to know what’s going on with him because it’s starting to look an awful lot like he's- _ Trunks promptly shuts his mouth and tenses with discomfort for several moments organizing his thoughts before trying to continue, “Well, have you heard from him since? Do you know where he is? Is he ok?”

There's so much concern in Trunks’ face, it's hard for Goku not to think about what he saw in Goten’s head. Continual enabling of each other's competitive destructive edges because of their inability to deal with grief, the inability of those around them to provide the support they needed to stay out of trouble. Through it all though, Goten never looked as concerned about Trunks. 

Goku answers with a more pressing question, “Is Goten... a good friend to you?” 

Trunks face scrunches in confusion, “That’s not- ...What?”

“Is he a good friend?”

“Yeah, he’s-  he's my best friend. We’re br-”

“That’s... not what I asked. ...Is he a  _ good _ friend?” Trunks opens his mouth to respond but no sound comes out as he recalls the last several times they saw each other. “I don't think he's a good friend…" Goku continues seriously, "To you or anyone.”

Trunks takes immediate offense to the comment, “Well, that's not really your call is it? You barely know him. Or me.” Goku holds his tongue and let’s Trunks have the final say on the matter. “I’m guessing you don’t know where he is then.” Goku shakes his head. “Will you at least let me know? If you hear from him?”

Goku nods then walks out of the room before Trunks can badger him with another question about his son. 

 

He watches Goku leave and is left in an even more frustrated mood than before as he begins pouring out another bottle. He takes out his phone and skips past the messages with Pan, then the ones with his sister. He re-reads the slew of angry profanity filled messages he received from Goten’s phone a day earlier. The messages didn’t answer any of his questions, not that Trunks had expected him too but he usually didn’t blow up on him like this and it bothered him.

 

_ You are a shitty friend. But you’re still my friend…. right? _

 

He doesn’t empty the last bottle and takes it with him down in to the labs to his office. It would be the first time he’s been there in days and he would finally see that it had been broken into. His eyes gloss over the office that was suddenly so much neater than when he left it aside from the cracks in the floor tiling and rest on the suspiciously new safe.

 

_ Damn it, B. _

 

He drops into the wheelie chair that once belonged to his mother and spins in it for a couple moments trying to figure out what the likelihood is that it was still in her possession or she had so graciously given it away to another unstable psychopath who apparently didn’t want to be found. 

  
  


Day 9   
  


It was the third day in a row Vegeta has woken up with Goku on top of him, kissing him, touching him, grinding against him, feeling skin on skin in some way or another.

Not that he was complaining. He’d woken up to far worse things in his life. But as he cracks his eyes open to watch this show of lust fueled mess on top of him he catches the edge of worry in the other Saiyan’s face before it quickly masks itself in a wide grin and covers his mouth.

“You’re awake.” Goku whispers.

“It’s… a miracle I’ve managed to sleep at all.” Vegeta mumbles sitting up.

Goku wraps his arms around Vegeta’s neck and leans in. His lips make contact with nothing as the shorter Saiyan pulls away. Goku tries again with the same results. “What?” He softly rubs his hips up against the ones underneath his.

Vegeta tilts his head and lets his lip twist with the beginnings of a smirk.  “Nothing. ...I just woke up… give me a minute.” All week Goku’s been jumping him every chance he could get, and at first he was all for it, but it was starting to feel… like Kakarot was looking for something Vegeta wasn’t giving. But there were no more conditions. He didn’t understand what other kind of reassurance Kakarot could be looking for and he wished the idiot would just open his mouth and tell him what it was because Vegeta couldn’t for the life of him figure it out and he was never going to  _ guess _ . 

Goku bites his lip and buries his face into Vegeta’s neck, forcing them back onto the pillows. Vegeta pushes back against Goku’s chest and keeps him from landing that sinful mouth on whatever it can reach.

“Kakarot...” he says still groggy from staying up the night before.

“What? You don’t want me to-? I can- let’s-” Vegeta watches him stammer through a list of things they could do and studies, with confusion, the insecurity laced expression above him. 

Vegeta shifts uncomfortably beneath him, “...Kakarot… what’s…” he narrowly catches the pained anxiety chasing across Goku’s face as he avoids kissing him. “What’s wrong?”

Goku hesitates through an unnatural laugh. “Nothing. I just want-” but every time he leans in Vegeta holds him back.

“We’ve hardly left this room all week. ...As much as I would like to, we can’t stay in here forever.” He stretches with Goku still sitting on top of him and is rewarded with several satisfying pops his back. “We should get something proper to eat. And then... we haven't had a real spar since you've been back.”

Goku sits back and rubs the back of his neck, “I know… but… ”     


 

… _ especially now that he’s had  _ _ me _ _. _

 

Of all the painful things his son had said to him, that was sticking with him the most. His cruel overly confident tone accompanied in his head by the sighs and moans Goten had been able to elicit so seemingly easily from the only person Goku had ever _ felt  _ intimate with. It made it hard to let go of what he had seen. The worry ate at him, refused to leave him alone no matter how many times they had given themselves to each other.

“What?” Vegeta presses with irritation. 

Goku’s eyes swim with a pool of mixed emotions, “Nothing...it’s just… I’m better than him, righ-?” Vegeta’s palm clamps tightly around his jaw and the shorter Saiyan’s face is not two inches from his own.

“Do not. Ever. Ask me something like that again.” His face wasn’t angry but Goku immediately regrets asking. Vegeta exhales sharply and shifts Goku away from him before getting up and pulling on a pair of shorts. 

“I’m… I’m sorr-” Goku begins to stumble out an apology but Vegeta puts his palm out in an unusually reassuring manner as he struggles to find the words. 

“Kakarot.” He closes his eyes and exhales deeply through his nose, “You’re concerned… I want to make sure I’m fully understanding the thought process behind what you just asked me, you’re  _ concerned,  _ it has actually _ crossed your mind _ , that you do not satisfy me as well as-” He can’t bring himself to say it.

Goku shrinks back a little in shame before quietly uttering an affirmative.

_I’m definitely going to break that little shits neck if he ever shows his face again._ “For the sake of _my_ peace of mind I’m going to help walk you through this one. Who… Kakarot, who is here in my bed harassing me with stupid questions every chance they get?”

“...I am.”

“You are. Right.” His warm rough palm finds its way underneath Goku’s chin and tilts it up toward his face. “And who has kept me up in that bed with them, day and night trying to get fifteen years of sex in a week?”

Goku laughs, “I've almost succeeded.”

Vegeta rolls his eyes, “And just so we’re clear, whose name have I been calling out? Whose name have I been drowning in _ compliments” _ He pushes Goku onto his back, “which are so rare to receive from the…” He begins crawling over top of Goku, “Cruel… Sadistic... Prince… Vegeta… Sworn… Enemy… to the…” he leans in with canines gleaming, “Legendary… Super Saiyan…”

Goku gulps back a swell of warmth and lust and nervous anticipation blooming in his chest as Vegeta got  _ that look  _ he loved so much. “...Mine.” 

Vegeta let’s out an appreciative growl before pressing their lips together quickly, teasingly, and confirming his answer. “Yours.” 

He smirks at Goku’s attempt to get more before pulling back and resuming getting dressed, “Don’t ever ask me to compare you again. Especially not to him. I find it unspeakably insulting you would even question that.”

Goku stays on the bed for a few more minutes thinking Vegeta was right, that had been a stupid thing to worry about. He begins to follow suit and looks for clothes to put on until he remembers a tertiary reason for why they’ve stayed up here for so many days. He holds up and looks over the only pair of pants he had finding them torn in half. 

“Hurry up! I’m hungry.” Vegeta notices Goku’s predicament and sighs with irritation, “Just throw mine on and-”

“But Vegeetaa” he fusses with the torn fabric in his hands, “if I keep wearing yours… you won’t have any either.” A shirt hits Goku in the face.

“Like that’s a problem for you.” A pair of pants make the same journey as the shirt covering Goku's mischievous smile.  


"These won't fit V, I'm taller than-"

“Stop making excuses to stay naked! I'm not coming back to bed! ....I can't believe I have to convince _you_ to get something to eat.”

Goku huffs and struggles to fit into the allotted clothing.   
  


Day 18

 

It is early and his phone starts buzzing again. It wakes him but not Vegeta and he is forced to reckon with the fact that short poorly spelled text messages would not be enough to keep his eldest son at ease. He lets the call go to voicemail before getting up and finding a better place to have a conversation he had tried to put off as long as possible.   
  


 

For the first time since they’ve gotten back together Vegeta wakes up to an empty bed. He gets up and homes in on the ki sitting in the kitchen. Goku’s voice is quiet but clear and Vegeta pauses curious who he’s talking to since there were no other Kis. 

 

Goku lets out an annoyed gust of air. “That’s just how it is now. …….. I don’t care what you think about him…….. Why would I do that? I’m not going to- …….. No, he invited me to stay. And I want to.” Another sigh, “Yes, it did stop. But I decided- ………... I can do that.” he says matter of factly. “And I will.  ……..... Well you’re wrong.” His forehead slumps into his palm and his posture declines as the phone call continues. “You don’t know that. You don’t know anything about him………… I never said that-”

When Goku looks up, he sees Vegeta leaning against the archway between the kitchen and the living room. He motions with his head, for him to come in and Vegeta quietly begins making two cups of coffee.

“No. I’ve never said that! …… it’s not like that- Yes! It-” He grumbles as Vegeta sets one of the cups in front of Goku and sits across from him at the small table.

“No. I already told you Vegeta didn’t do anything.” Goku says sharply. “I don’t know! It was just... training! ……………...I don't know…. No, I don’t know! He left afterwards! I- … yes! I’ve tried sensing for him. …………..Maybe! You should ask him. ………...….. Well I’m sorry that he said that. …..Not really! It sounds exactly like something he would say. ……………….. I don’t know what you want me to do. ………... He doesn’t listen to me either. ….Yes. ….Yes, I will. ...Yes. ….Yes.” he rolls his eyes. “Yes. Of cours- No! ….I have to go- yes! I will! I have to go! Yes! Bye. ….Bye!” he finally hangs up and drops his phone onto the table before attempting to rub the stress out of his face.

 

“Gohan?”

Goku sighs, “He… doesn’t make things worse… but he doesn’t make them easy either.”

Vegeta speaks into his mug. “I believe you and my son may have that in common.”

Goku raises his brow in question.

“I mean Gohan is just protective. Of you. And of his daughter.” he drinks slowly _,_ “His Saiyan side has to come out one way or another.”

“Yeah… I guess so.”

  
  


Day 23

 

Vegeta’s not really sure what to make of the scene he has just walked in on. Though he thinks perhaps he never should have trusted his daughter to help Goku find suitable clothes because apparently she took that as an open invitation to play an absurd game of dress up with one of the most powerful beings in the known universe. He does not understand how this happened as he looks around at the thirty odd empty paper coffee cups surrounding Goku, who is passed out on the couch, then at his daughter who is sitting there playing on her phone amidst a dozen shopping bags with the most amused look on her face.

“What… the hell did you do to him?” He gestures to Goku.

“Uh, it’s called fashion, papa. Look it up.”

“Just because I call him a clown, doesn’t mean I want him to look like one! And what is this? What did you bribe him with so he would wear it?” Vegeta finds and picks up a half empty drink and sips it. He blanches at the taste, “That is disgusting!”

His daughter clicks her tongue, “Then it’s a good thing I didn’t buy any of these for you!”

“Tch.” He crosses his arms and stares at Goku’s colorful new look.

She flattens out a couple of the wrinkles with a frown, “I tried to talk him out of the orange but he insisted.” 

Vegeta rolls his eyes, “Of course he did. At least tell me you helped him get something practical. He can’t spar in… that.”

“Yes,” she lets out a dramatic sigh, “We bought stupid sweatpants too. In all the most ridiculous colors he could find.” 

He humphs and scowls at the two of them.

“I don’t see what you’re complaining about. He is literally the best dressed Saiyan at Capsule Corp. now. Maybe ever.” Vegeta glares silently at his daughter before she stands up with a pout, “Fine. Don’t appreciate my hard work.”   


As she walks off Vegeta begins to clean up all the empty coffee cups around Goku, finally causing him to stir. The taller Saiyan stretches and smiles up at Vegeta. When he stands and begins helping him collect all the cups Vegeta’s eyes widen and he silently takes back everything he said. As soon as his daughter’s ki leaves the compound, he drops the cups in his hands and pushes Goku back on to the couch. He very carefully avoids tearing the pants because  _ those  _ oh, he  _ definitely  _ wanted Kakarot to wear those again. He ignores Goku’s complaints that they were in the living room and soon Goku stops complaining.

  
  
  


Day 28

 

The lights at capsule corp which have been flickering all morning finally went out with a loud electrical popping noise. Goku sends a curious to Vegeta as they step out of the shower. 

The shorter Saiyan shrugs his shoulders, “I don’t know. It happens sometimes when she’s home.” A few moments later they are both starting to wish they’d stayed out to spar a little longer as the loud voices of two half Saiyans begin ringing through the halls.   
  


“What do you mean! NOT YOUR FAULT?! You just blew the power breaker for the WHOLE COMPOUND! And now! It might be out for HOURS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT WILL COST US?!”

“I MEAN it’s not my FAULT this dome’s stupid million year old power grid isn’t equipped to handle my brilliance!” She slams the door of the lab on her brother’s face and stomps down the hall, “Leave it to my idiot brother to pass up literally an earth shattering solution to the Capsule Corp’s MASSIVELY INEFFICIENT ENERGY CONSUMPTION just because a few transistors exploded!” 

They hear the lab door slam again as Trunks stomps out after her. 

"-No, NO, that’s NOT HOW THAT WORKS! It IS your FAULT and YOU have to FIX IT! And- AND THIS IS WHY YOUR PROJECTS STILL NEED OVERSIGHT!"

“They do not!”

“They do!”

“DO NOT!”

“DO TOO!”

"DO NOT! 

“DO-

“I'm the expert! They're MY projects! They do not need your stupid oversight! You not giving me access to the control systems is WHY this happened in the first place!"

“You are so- OOh no! No, no, no, no, that is NOT why this happened! This happened because you rewired the control system AGAIN to give yourself access to something I CLEARLY CAN’T ENTRUST YOU ACCESS TO, B! BECAUSE YOU PULL SHIT LIKE THIS!”

There is a long angry silence between them as they exchange silent blows.

“FINE! If I  _ can’t be TRUSTED _ ! You fix it! I’m LEAVING! I have BETTER THINGS TO DO!”

“‘I have better things to do’” he mocks her high voice as she storms away. “Not anymore! If you don’t fix what you did, then after I DO, I’m pulling your access to ALL our systems! Including entry! How about you try to rewire that! Huh!? While you stand outside the compound triggering the security system!”

She stops in her tracks and turns around, “Wha-! I'm Bra Briefs, it won't- I  _ wrote  _ half those systems! You can't do that!-”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want actually because I’m the CEO. And I can blacklist you in our database if I want to.”

She immediately tries to default to the easiest way to get her way. Her face begins to break apart and she lets her eyes water,

“No.” He points a finger at her, “Don’t you dare! Don’t you fucking dar-”

“PAPAAAAAA-” She screams. “TRUNKS WANTS TO BAN ME FROM CAPSULE COOORRP!!!”

Vegeta who has at least managed to get half dressed before the inevitable breakdown of sanity lets out a defeated groan and resigns his face to his palms, “It’s like we’re cursed.” Goku, who was still in a towel just smiles, sits next to him on the bed and pats his shoulder. 

“DON’T LISTEN TO HER, DAD! SHE’S-” A ki blast fires over his head and scortches a wall. He looks back as his sister with a murderous glare before charging up his own.

“HEY!” Vegeta’s head snaps up at the sound of a blast, “NO KI IN THE HOUSE!” Their father easily out shouts them through the door.

Bra then skirts around a corner with her tongue out before Trunks can catch her with the blast and both halves are out of the compound before Vegeta has mustered the energy to get up and end their fight in a manner consistent with Saiyan culture. 

Goku flops backwards on the bed with a laugh.

“What?”

“Nothing. They’re… they’re a lot like you.”

Vegeta wasn’t sure if after what had just transpired that was an insult or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have the other side of Goku's conversation with Gohan, but I liked it better like this :p
> 
> AN//day 23: I feel like this is pointless fluff…? Idk if ya'll maybe felt this is ooc or not. At this point, I’m so far gone with this story. but I wanted this ch to have the same number of “day” shots as the previous ch. to mirror it, and I wanted it to be in stark contrast to what Goten is experiencing. Just happy silly whatever. Day in the life.


	39. What Goes Around Comes Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goten takes a lesson from his father on how to cope with stress.

His sister somehow got her way and Trunks comes back to a dark house. He is left grumbling alone with his own thoughts fussing with a singed jacket. He taps in a pass-code set by his mother many years ago. But it doesn’t work. “Of course.” He leans his forehead against the cool metal door before letting out an exasperated sigh and blasting the lock open so he can get downstairs.

 

He walks into his office and stares at the only working piece of equipment he can find. He stares at the little spinning icon on the tablet for ten long minutes before several green text lines appear telling him that all their main systems and sixty eight percent of their auxiliary systems were down and required immediate attention. He slides it across the desk a little too hard and it hits the wall behind it, shattering the screen.

 

“Fuck.” He rubs his temples. He gets up and makes his way to the main fuse box and flips several of the switches. None of the lights come back on and he slumps against the wall. It is only after a half an hour of only partly sober troubleshooting and ki soldering of various electrical components that he realizes this might actually be a brilliant opportunity for revenge. He wouldn’t put it past his sister to have installed her own backup security system but as he breaks her door off its hinges and discards it a few feet away there is a relieving absence of lights, red dots, and alarms.

 

Her office was quiet, dark, and neat. The first thing he goes for is her computer. He pulls open the tower and pulls out the hard drive. In the end he was bluffing about blacklisting her, but maybe a temporary hold wasn’t out of the question. He searches her desk for any other tablets or devices, but there is hardly anything in the drawers. In fact he finds the office is mostly… empty. A few note pads. _With nothing written in them._ A couple pens. His brow furrows and he starts searching for nothing in particular a little more thoroughly.

 

Then he remembers the band and wonders where she’d keep something like that. She didn’t have any safes or locks or… much of anything. _She wouldn’t leave it out in the open…_ _But then… where…. Where is everything?_ This wasn’t right. This wasn’t his sister. It had her trademarks, but it wasn’t her.

 

He looks at her wall of trophies then at the bookshelf behind her desk. He cocks his head because the books all seemed a bit too elementary. He’s sure she hasn’t touched “The Basics of Physics” since the sixth grade. _Where’s all her-_

 

His lip quirks _You think you’re so clever._ He backs up a few feet before throwing a powerful ki blast at the wall destroying the bookshelf and the books she would never miss. However he hardly makes a dent in the peculiar metal reinforcement behind it.

 

“...That… is not insulation.”

 

His fingertips brush the surface until they find a small seam and he begins to pry it apart.

 

“Ahhg, c’mon Saiyan genes! Work for me! Prince of all- fuckin’- useless- Ah!!” He pulls and pulls and pulls until the sudden give of the door lands him against the lower shelves of pictures and awards to his left. He gets up and walks through the new entry way into a small metal shop. Or at least that’s what it looks like. He holds up his palm with ki to illuminate the room.

 

“When the fuck… did you build this? And how?!” He supposes giving her an underground office that had an exterior wall maybe wasn’t the best idea in retrospect. It is cramped with what he _thinks_ are different types of batteries, and on the workbench metal bands, rings, _cables? To what?_ and several more things he wasn’t confident he could identify and others he wasn’t _comfortable_ identifying.

 

He begins sorting through the piles of scattered paperwork. The books in this room made much more sense for her level of study and she had stacks of them pushed off to one corner. He pauses when he finds a notebook filled to its capacity with sticky notes, loose papers, color coordinated notes and hand drawn pictures. Her illustrations of complex circuitry are beautiful and as he begins to thumb through it he takes a moment to appreciate them before reading her notes on ki as a power source.

 

_I mean, yes B, a ki battery is a great idea, especially since we’d have a monopoly but they are far too unstable. We’ve gone over this a hundred fucking times!_

 

He was right, it didn’t look like she had much success with batteries although she did have some interesting notes on manipulating energy output from Ki generators. Though he wasn’t sure how she could have built one or even come up with the resources to test something like that because _nothing can generate ki except for-_

 

He flips through a few pages until something catches his eye. A picture is someone's arm and torso with a peculiar looking coil wrapped around it and different notes on how the ‘source’ conducted and reacted to what she had labeled first a ‘failed over charge’ followed by a ‘successful recharge.’ _Oh no- not again- Not-_

 

He quickly turns through a few more pages until he finds a hand drawn image of the central nervous system in a human body. _Fuck! She’s been doing human trials- For WHA- Wait... no.... that’s… a Saiya-_

 

“Oh my god.” he whispers, “Oh my-! Goten!? GOTEN! GOTEN?!” He drops the notebook and begins searching the room. His palm brightens and he shines it around the room. “There’s more, there has to be more to this place. What the fuck! WHAT THE F- GOTEN!? GOTEN!”

 

He begins firing blasts at the walls, through her work benches, machinery gone until he is surrounded on all sides by reinforced metallic walls that don’t seem to respond at all to Ki. He searches them for seams like the first one but he can’t find anything.

 

“Where is it? I know there’s more! GOTEN?!” He starts frantically moving left over debris away from the walls trying to find an opening. His hurriedness pays off when he trips over a small metal latch on the floor.

 

\---

  


He’s sitting in the darkness like usual only this time it was different. The lights didn’t come back on when he stood up. He walks out into the main room and sees that the screen of his torment was off too. He was alone in complete darkness with the exception of the slight glow from the band.

 

He wonders what Bra is up to. He wonders if this was some kind of reprieve? Or if this meant she was planning something worse? Would she just leave him in the dark? Did something happen at Capsule Corp.? He flops onto the mattress and figures there’s not much to be done either way. _Maybe… she forgot about me._

 

He bolts up when he hears a loud thud above him. Then another. He backs against a wall as the thudding continues, getting closer. Very close. He instinctively raises his palm to the source which sounds like it’s coming from the ceiling. He’s not quite sure what’s going on as there is a sudden loud clanging and crumbling of concrete.

 

“Stupid fuckin’- can’t get a damn door open.”

 

“...Trunks?”

 

“...Goten!?”

 

There is a gasp, “GOTEN! Fuck! What-” suddenly there are hands on Goten’s face, on his shoulders, checking him for injury, “Are you ok? What the fuck-” Trunks holds up his palm and sheds light on the other half who’d clearly seen better days. He had lost weight, looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “What are you doing here?! Your ki is- ohh shit” he looks at the glowing band on his wrist. “Shit- shit!” He tries to throw ki into the little ‘x’ on it but it doesn’t open.

 

“Only the person who put it on can take take it off. It’ll just absorb everything else it comes into contact with.”

 

“Ok, we’ll figure it out. c’mon let’s get the fuck out of here.” Trunks loops Goten’s arm over his shoulder and helps him make his way back up the way he came. Goten is relatively easy to support until a sudden wave of shock and fury a takes hold of him as they reach the surface of Bra’s lab.

 

“What did you do? Trunks! Did you do this?” He breaks away and starts picking up the broken charred pieces of her equipment. Some of it glowed now, bust most of it had melted or become nothing. “The only- the only fucking chance I had of getting this off was in here! It was here! You destroyed it! What did you do?! How- AHH! Trunks!”

 

The older half watches Goten frantically try to flip through papers and pick up burning glowing chunks of metal before tossing them aside. “It’s- Goten, it’s ok, I’m gonna find a way to get it off.”

 

He tries to pull him up, but Goten shirks his grip. Trunks then forces him up and out into the hall where emergency lights could at least lend him a better look at the craftsmanship. “...Who- who put this on you? My sister? I can make her take it off- She- ‘Ten why did you let her put this on you? Why did you- and after the last time?”

 

“I didn’t _let_ that bitch do _anything!_ …”

 

Trunks throws him a glare, “Then how… how did this fucking happen?”  Goten doesn’t answer. “Who the fuck put this on you? If you didn’t, if she didn’t?!” The silence from the dark half is deafening, “Goten! Who put this on you?!”

 

“M-my dad.” He finally mumbles out.

 

“Your- What?! Why?! How did he even get it?! What the fuck is going on ‘ten?! He said you broke his nose! Did you fight? Were you trying to train with thi-”

 

“It’s really not _important_ right now!” he grits out through bared teeth, “help me get this fucking thing OFF. Now. Before someone SHOWS UP, Trunks!”

 

“Who- who’s gonna show up? What-”

 

“At this point, it doesn’t MATTER! Your psycho of a sister! My idiot of a father! Or your- JUST HELP ME GET IT OFF!

 

Trunks startles and pulls out his phone and begins scrolling through the contacts.

 

Goten smacks it out of his hands, “No, no, no, no! Don’t- don’t tell her- don’t call-” panic begins to seize his face and his voice, “don’t you fucking dare call that crazy bitch-!”

 

“Shut the fuck up ‘Ten! Don’t call her that! She’s probably the only one who can help you! Or your dad! He’ll take it off you won’t he?”

 

He picks his phone back up but Goten grabs his wrist, “NO! NO! DON’T definitely don’t call my father- You take it off! You can take it off, Trunks, I know you can!”

 

“How?” He touches the blazing hot metal and tries to snap it or bend it, break it, crack it, anything. They find a saw but the blade dulls to a nearly flat edge after just three draws. “Fuck, FUCK! Your ki is like keeping it held together or something. How long have you had this on? Can you overload it? There must be a limit or-”

 

“No- I don’t know! I don’t - just take it off right fucking now! Trunks! NOW! Before- NOW!”

 

“Ok! Ok!” He starts to panic along with Goten and resorts to the first solution he can think of.

Goten then watches Trunks’ hand light up with energy,

 

“Wait- Wait- TRUNKS NO DON’T-”

 

“Senzu bean can fix anything right? Fuck, I hope so.”

 

The blast comes before he has time to pull away, Ki-less and weakened by weeks of dungeon nutrition. Then there is the soft sound of metal dropping on the floor. And then. Screaming. Goten has collapsed to his knees holding his arm to his chest while Trunks picks up the band and watches the light begin to fade from it.

 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH YOU COULD HAVE JUST BROKEN IT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaH- why did you- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?” the yells of agony quickly drop off into silence as he begins to feel the familiar zoom of ki. He throws up water all over the floor, because it’s all he’s been able to put down in the last day, then he throws up bile because there is no water left. Then he collapses.

 

Trunks has never seen anything like it. Last time he had arrived after Goten had gotten his energy back. He is horrified by what he is watching him go through to get it back.

 

Light now emanates in waves from the dark haired half. Goten begins convulsing on the floor flashing back and forth to super saiyan, his ki sky rockets then drops and then sky rockets higher before dropping even lower.

 

“Fuck, what do I do? ‘Ten I have to call my sister-”

 

Within moments he and his sister are shouting at each other through the phone but Goten is too out of it to make out what they’re saying. All he can do is writhe in and out of super saiyan as ki tries to flood his body in the most excruciating way possible. _This… is way worse than last time._

  


“Don’t fucking touch him, if you try to hold him down while he’s seizing he could break his spine, he has to just ride it out and hope he survives. How did you even get the band off?!”

 

“I- uh- ‘Ten is… he’s left handed now.”

 

There is a very long silence before his sister says she is on her way back and abruptly hangs up.

 

Goten’s power has finally started to level off and the shaking has died down. The first intelligible thing he utters as he forces himself to stay conscious is “ship.”

 

“What?” He says knealing by Goten trying to assess the damage of his split second decision.

 

“Ship. I need. A ship.”

 

“‘Ten, no you need medical attenti-”

 

“Can’t stay here- I can’t stay here! Give me a ship!” He yells angrily while trying to rip his own shirt off and shakily wrap it around the ki cauterized wound.

 

Trunks tries to pull Goten’s arm away from his chest to see how bad it is but the other half pushes him back with his foot. “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!”

 

The lavender half takes a step back. “Ok, I- ‘Ten, I didn’t know what else to-”

 

“Senzu beans DON’T HEAL MISSING LIBS TRUNKS! YOU FUCKING IDIOT! WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT!?”

 

“HEY! Fuck you! I was trying to help you! I DID help you! Why would your even dad put that thing on you in the first place!? ‘Training?!’ BULLSHIT! Why does mine want to kill you, ‘Ten?! Why would he- what did you do?!”

 

Goten grips Trunks’ shirt and pulls him forward with his one good hand and an aggressive snarl, “You want to know? You really want to know?” Trunks nods his head now somewhat regretful he gave Goten access to his ki so quickly. He didn’t seem quite right. More volatile than usual, and usual was already concerning. “You’re sister figured it out. I thought you were _smart_ Trunks. Even my dumb dad figured it out.” He sneers at his friend who pulls back and eyes him warily.

 

“What… what did you do?” He asks slowly as Goten begins rifling through drawers and cabinets, knocking desks and tables over in his search for a way to escape certain death by the hands of one _or maybe two_ angry Saiyans.

 

“Goten… what did you-”

 

Goten stops and lets out an irritated sigh before briefly facing the only person who ever gave a damn about him, “......I fucked Vegeta.” He takes a moment to appreciate the sudden weight lifted off his chest before continuing his search, “Now help me find a ship before he murders me. Because as many times as I’ve tried to fucking kill myself under your sisters… _care…_ I don’t actually want to die. Especially not by _his_ hands.”

Trunks searches Goten’s face blankly for several moments, “You- you what?” Goten rolls his eyes and walks out into the main lab and begins going through all of the capsules he could find.

 

“YOU WHAT?!”

 

Goten finds a case of them in their Aeronautics section that looked promising, then turns back to Trunks with a frightening smile and equally unmasked laugh. “Yeah, Trunks, I’m sorry. I’ve got issues. But you know? I think with your sisters help, I’ve really been able to work them through. Really paid for my sins down there. Or made them worse. Not really sure honestly. But you won’t believe the disgusting shit they do to each other when they think there’s no one in the house. I wouldn’t touch _anything_ in that living room if I were you.”

 

“You f- you-…with my-?! He- why would he- but you were like a- you and my dad-? You’re lying, you have to be lying- when- how-?”  

 

Goten pockets several of the capsules and walks over to his friend. He places his one hand on trunks’ shoulder and keeps the other close to his chest. “Ah, you know how I look _so_ much like my dad? Well! Apparently! He thought so too! And OOooooh man, Trunks, you should have seen his face when he realized his mistake. Classic Vegeta! and I got the bruises to match. But you know… despite everything… I still think it was worth it because, Trunks” He pulls his best friend in close, “he was the best lay I’ve _ever_ had.”

 

“I think I’m going to be sick-”

 

Goten lets go with that same hollow grin on his face, “You do that. I’m… gonna leave. Because by how fast Vegeta’s ki is moving, I’ve got about ten minutes ‘til he decides to light my world up again.”

 

Trunks turns slowly and watches Goten begin to make his way upstairs in the emergency lit lab. “Goten.”

 

He pauses, “What?”

 

“I’m letting you leave.”

 

“Thanks ...You are really your mother’s son.”

 

“You misunderstand. I’m letting you _leave._ ” He didn’t need to threaten him. He didn’t need to hit him. In the end, he was still Vegeta’s son too, and he could be intimidating when he needed to be. He knew how to say, ‘If you ever come back, I’ll kill you’ without saying it. And like that, the last link to humanity Goten had was broken. Goten nods silently and disappears up the stairs.

 

The first three capsules he had taken were not ships, maybe partially built engines, he thinks and he is now praying to whatever will listen the fourth one is because Vegeta and his father were getting uncomfortably close _(and where the fuck had they even been? And wow my father made a lot of improvement while I’ve been underground)_ He throws it and _oh thank fucking whoever was listening_ a ship appears in front of him. He has no idea how to fly it and in the end he knows his father can find him if he wants to, but he’s banking on that not being the case. He looks at the two handed control system and curses before resorting to one handed button smashing.

 

He is sweating bullets because he can feel them within a few miles but the damned thing won’t take off from the ground. But something in his panicked button smashing must have worked because the ship engine started and now it was making noises. He slams his foot on what he hopes is the throttle and it jolts upward. He is thrown back against the wall of the ship as it goes faster than he thought earth technology was capable of and he can feel their kis get further off as he begins to rocket through the atmosphere.

 

“Just let me fucking leave. Just let me-” He lets out a broken sigh of relief when blackness overtakes the windows and he silently hopes his father doesn’t appear on board. He would never know that Goku couldn’t have done that even if he wanted too, which he absolutely didn’t, because he was far too busy holding Vegeta’s arms pinned down with every last shred of strength he could muster.

  


"HOW CAN YOU!STOP ME?! HOW CAN YOU WANT HIM TO LIVE AFTER WHAT HE DID?!"

 

"HE'S MY SON! HE'S MY SON! I DON’T! I CA- I CAN’T! I CAN'T LET YOU-” he buries his head into Vegeta’s neck who is still fighting him trying to get his hands free, “I can't let you do this. He’s still-"

 

"FUCK YOU KAKAROT! FUCK YOU! HE IS NOTHING! GOTEN IF YOU EVER COME BACK, I'LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL- I’LL I’ll- I'll kill him-" he breaks down underneath Goku who had already been crying. Goten would never seen how much it had broken them both that Trunks let him leave. Vegeta didn’t speak to his son for three years and might have continued if Pan hadn’t broken the news that they were going to have a little girl.

 

He would never see that Bra, in her typical fashion, got away with just about everything. Trunks never told a soul what he saw in her office. But he did watch as she burned and destroyed every single piece of it.

 

He would never see his brother lie to their mother for the thousandth time assuring her that Goten was ok when just like usual, he knew Goten was not ok.

 

He would never see a lot of things.

  


Instead Goten looks out the small porthole and sees darkness as he breaks down from the pain of his arm, of breaking Trunks, like he broke everything, of what Bra did to him, of what he did to himself, of running away… _wait…_

  
“NO! NO! FUCK! I-” his voice cracks and he kicks the main console, “I became just fucking like him! HOW! HOW did I make the SAME MISTAKE as that- I HATED HIM for! I HATED- AND NOW-!” All at once it begins to hit him. What he did. Everything he did. He’s never screamed so hard in his life. When his body has no more pain to shed he unwraps the torn rags of his shirt from his arm and looks at the wound. _At least it’s not bleeding._ He looks at where his right hand should have been and where his wrist should have been and about half his forearm. “Just a stupid… third class... runaway…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof lotta cryin' here. D: Gonna try and wrap it up nice and tidy next ch.
> 
> pretty SEVER(E) consequences wouldn't you say? AH! HA!  
>  
> 
> So, ultimately, I wanted Goten to run away from his problems since ch 2. I really liked this idea that, following their relationship with the same guy, Goku and Goten dealt with the fallout of the consequences in the same way for these entirely different reasons. :< I hope this doesn't feel rushed. I think it's a little rushed, but i couldn't handle breaking it up into more ch's anymore. It kept going and going and I decided NO. This torment needs to END and brought the guillotine down. On Goten's arm.


	40. Misery. Ever. After.

_Seven Years Later_

Goku is waiting for Vegeta to finish talking to the alien behind the desk while squinting at a large slate board with an assortment of parchment ads tacked to it one of which has Vegeta’s face on it. There is another bounty next to it pasted on top of countless others that he only knew was his son and not himself because of the hair. He tears it down and quickly shoves the crumpled paper in his pocket before Vegeta walks over with a smirk and asks him what he's looking at.

“You.”

“That's from a long time ago.”

“I know. What does it say?”

Vegeta tilts his head and pulls it off the board for a better look

He points to the biggest blotch of symbols. “Danger. …” then he points to another, “Do not approach.” His finger begins tracing the lines of symbols down the page, “Call… authorities if sighted… Saiyan… Male… wanted for…” he snorts and tilts his head back and forth with amusement as he names each charge, “Murder, genocide, an assortment of war crimes, mass destruction of… I don't know the translation for this one… federation land? property maybe …” he frowns and scrutinizes one particular line but never translates it. “I don't think I ever did _that_. ... Tch. Maybe I did. ...I think it's gone down since last time I cared to check.” he taps his finger on the large printed blocks at the bottom. “But I'm still worth a lot.”

Goku wraps his arms around him and leans his chin on Vegeta's shoulder as he looks down at the page with a grin, “What kinda ad is that. None of those are the reasons why I want you.”

Vegeta throws the paper on the ground and sends a sly look over his shoulder, “And why do _you_ want me?”

He tilts Vegeta's head up and into a kiss begins pressing him against the slate wall.

“Can you wait five minutes? We’re about to have accommodations fit for the Gods we are.” Goku whines as Vegeta then pushes him off and pulls him into the bath house.

  
  


Vegeta circles the stone edge of the pool Goku has already steeped himself in and waits until he is out of reach before stripping the towel from around his waist. “Now. Did you want to finish what you started?”

Goku sinks into the steaming heavily scented pool so everything but his eyes are below the surface and breathes out the word “yes.” He watches as Vegeta steps in and extend his arms across the opposite wall with the self assurance that he was going to get exactly what he wanted.

Goku dips under the surface and reappears in front him. His mouth already looking for skin in need of attention.

Vegeta turns so his chest is pressed to the stone and his back to Goku's hard Saiyan fram.

Within moments their moans echo around the beautiful stone room surrounding the pool which was filled with _“it’s not quite… water, Kakarot… You’ll like it.”_ and Goku takes a moment to revel in the fact that Vegeta loved to get it as hard as he gave it. _Must be a saiyan thing._ Goku growls in Vegeta's ear as he works his way up to pounding him senseless and his actions are rewarded with a heated slur of foreign profanities followed by a hand reaching back to yank forward on Goku's hair. Goku yelps and then asks for Vegeta to do it again. He loved when Vegeta did that. He also loved when Vegeta's fingers ran deep red marks in his back but they weren't in the right position for that. _Another time._

He suddenly tries to slow the pace because his orgasm is so much closer than he realized but water keeps sloshing around them anyway because Vegeta has begun rocking back into him with force, his way of saying, 'If you don't fuck me the way I want, I will do it for you.' And now Goku can’t help it. Before he can stop himself he was coming hot hard thrusts into that perfect ass.

After a final slam in, he relaxes, “ah, sorry” he has to take a minute to catch his breath, and leans his forehead against Vegeta's shoulder. “Sorry Vegeta, I couldn't unh-” He feels the other Saiyan tighten around him just before pulling away and out of the sweet soft waters of the pool. “you felt so…” he sighs.

Vegeta smirks at him and pulls Goku up and onto the stone edge. Then a little further to a soft mat and kneels between his spread legs. “You're not done.”

“Huh-? unh!” he throws his head back as Vegeta pulls Goku’s hips to up to meet his still throbbing cock. “you have to finish what you start, Kakarot” he sneers down at the sex hazed eyes of his partner and then begins to ease himself in.

“ahhaha~ s-so ah!” he bites his lip and lets his toes curl as Vegeta sheathes himself completely.

“I didn’t tell you to stop fucking me.”

“Wha?” Goku asks his mouth hanging open from the sparks of climax still shooting through his body.

“I ah- I already- But you’re- ahh” Vegeta begins moving slowly in and out making Goku to shiver with pleasure. “What do you, ah, want me to do?”

Vegeta places two of Goku's fingers in his mouth. “I don't know.” he threads his tongue between the digits and skillfully sucks on them with the same slow speed and intensity he's using with his hip “you'll have to figure it out.” he leads goku's hand away to some place warmer.

His fingers slide in easily and he feels around as Vegeta maintains his slow speed, until he hits something that makes the shorter Saiyan cry out.

Goku's cock never had a chance to go soft. Vegeta is panting against his chest as he thrusts into Goku and back on to his fingers. “Harder. Harder, kakarot! I'm so fucking close! Fuck me as hard as you want to be fucked. Unh-!”

Goku can't even form words as he nods and thrusts his fingers harder and deeper urging Vegeta to do the same before lighting them up with a small flash of ki. He had only done this on himself but he was pretty sure Vegeta would like it too.

“Fuck!! Yes! What is-?! Ah! Kakarot, keep-! …..” His hips smash into Goku's and his arms coil in an X across Goku’s back as tightly as they can as his body goes taught from head to toe forcing him even deeper, “#$%@!!!!”

 

The gap between their bodies was now non existent and the added pressure around his cock allows Goku to shutter out a second climax. He can feel himself tightening and holding around Vegeta as the ki from his fingers makes Vegeta gasp out that word over and over again.

Goku rides out their orgasm with his head tilted in barely registered curiosity. When Vegeta finally begins to loosen his hold, Goku withdraws his still glowing fingers.

“@^   * %$*   ##$*!÷ ? … #$%@, Kakarot...” Vegeta says with a shudder as he pulls out of Goku. The taller saiyan isn't sure now if he misheard or misunderstood.

“I what?”

But Vegeta collapses almost immediately into sleep on top of him and soon Goku follows.

 

 

When he wakes it is dark and he can’t get back to sleep. A last minute thought won’t stop bugging him. That word won’t leave his head.

"Vegeta" He shakes him gently, "V, V, Vegeetaa~" his annoying whispers are met with a deep rumbling growl.

"What! I am SLEEPING."

"I know but what was that word you said? I've heard you say a lot of words in other languages but never one that sounded like that."

"....What word?"

"The one you said when- I think it was, !@#&!  ?"

He finally cracks his eyes open at the unusual, almost familiar sounds coming out of Goku's mouth, _I said that?_  "........ You're pronouncing it wrong."

Goku rolls his eyes, "Ok, but what does it mean? I liked the way it sounded."

"Of course you did."

"What does it mean?!"

"Mmm, fuck you." he grumbles.

"Stop being a jerk! What does it mean!?"

"It means, 'fuck you.'" He lets out a soft chuckle. "or something very similar. You must really know how to bring out the Saiyan in me. I forgot I knew that word."

Goku can't hold back a noise of excitement as he perches his chin on Vegeta's shoulder and peers down at him, "It's Saiyan?! Do you know a lot of Saiyan?"

"Not really."

"But you knew that one! Is the other word you told me Saiyan?"

"What other word? Probably not. Most of it was beaten out of me when I was still small. Nappa and Raditz were too scared to reteach me and never said much more than the occasional expletives. ...Those are all I remember."

He takes in the information seriously and considers the weight wondering if that's why he curses so much in all the other languages he knows _._

Vegeta humms sleepily and cracks a smile, "Maybe if I say it more, other words will come back to me and you can learn those too."

Although Goku wishes he could learn something other than curse words he smiles and lays back against the soft mat, "!!@%#!"

"That's not it."

"....!@#%$@  ?"

"Nope."

"...!##@* ??"

"Definitely not."

"!@$^%   !?" Goku frowns.

"No. Go to sleep. I'll tell you again in the morning." He then whispers it under his breath and Goku hits him with a pillow before turning over away from Vegeta with a pout.

  


\---

  
  


Another long boring day in the labs working on _bullshit._ Though her brother was good on his word and never told anyone what she did, he still managed to lord it over her every chance he got, using it as a way to bind her destructive creativity at every turn. _For the safety of humanity of course_ . Now she was stuck in administration doing _paperwork_ and _grants_ and _proposals._ Which weren’t just a waste of her potential, they were also _impossibly_ time consuming.

She rolls her eyes as another email pings her phone reminding her she is behind on a particular project she wasn’t interested in finishing then grins as a welcome distraction walks in.

“Goku! Just the saiyan I was looking for!” She leans back in her chair and kicks out from the desk and he smiles brightly at her. “I didn’t expect you to be back already. Did you bring plenty of fun space tech for me to play with?”

“Yeah.” He pulls out a couple capsules. “And we found a lot of that metal too.”

She takes them and stashes them in a lock drawer filled with dozens of other capsules she hasn’t been able to explore under the oppressive shadow of her brother’s corporate ‘ethics.’

He softly crinkles something in his pocket, "I found something else too…” He hands her a piece of worn parchment and she finds herself staring at a very familiar face, "What does it say?”

He studies it silently for a few moments before pointing at a group of symbols, “...This word is ‘danger.’ And that’s a number but I don’t know how much.”

“It looks like a big number.” She smirks. “He must be popular to get this kind of attention." She holds it up and compares it to Goku, “You're lucky no one's tried to hunt you down for this.”

He shifts and laughs uncomfortably. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“So. What do you want me to do with it?" she asks and begins folding it into a paper airplane.

He shrugs, "I just... wanted to tell someone."

"And you thought I'd be the only one who wouldn't tear your head off or what?" He nods. " ...Do you miss him?" She asks curiously.

He fidgets with a paperclip on her desk, “No. But sometimes… I can sense him.” he admits quietly.

She sits up in her chair, “Really? I haven't been able to sense him since he left the planet. ...I assumed he was dead.” A wide grin stretches across her face.

He turns and tilts his head up toward the ceiling. “Most the time I can’t… But sometimes... He’s there. It’s like… he’s trying to call out. Not to me… just… to someone… But usually he is.... dark… I don’t know how he does that.”

She spins around in her wheeled chair a few times, “He continues to elude us as one of the great mysterious of the universe. ...Does my dad sense him too?”

His face goes through several bothered expressions, “...If he does, he’s never said anything.” There is a long silence before he takes his cue to exit, “Thanks.”

She continues her spinning, “Anytime~” and wonders if she’s the only one who missed him. Because if nothing else, he’d been _such_ a good test subject.

 

\---

 

He sits in the wastes of a civilization vacant planet, not far from a wrecked stolen alien craft, trying to tweak the clicking damaged elements of a metal prosthetic forcibly attached to his body. It was barely functional and clearly poorly made. It clicked when it moved and mobility was limited. It could grasp cups, large objects, _the occasional neck sure why not_ , but anything more refined was a painfully impossible task.

 

It reaches half way up his forearm. The skin is grey discolored where the alloy and skin meet. From the juncture come raised blackened lines that twisted and stretched past his elbow to just under his shoulder. There are jagged angry marks left behind from burns and cuts maring his tough Saiyan hide tracking along his right bicep, the side of his rib cage, his neck and across his chest. Even Vegeta had nothing quite like them. Maybe because unlike Vegeta's, they weren't from unfriendly natives but from experimenting with how different materials reacted to massive volumes of Ki. As it turns out, most exploded. Or worse. Melted.

 

He watches the two suns set in a red sky and decides, he hates this place. He hates himself. He hates everything. He stands and tries to step into a kata he’d done a thousand times on Earth. But as soon as he calls on his ki he can feel uncomfortable waves of vertigo begin to rip through him, making him dizzy to the point of vomiting

 

He drops to the ground and pulls his knees to his chest. He begins breathing and counting, running shaking hands through through his hair in anguish as whispers of his ki ghost across his skin and around his body.

 

Then he lets go, as he usually did, out of frustration and lets the power he could no longer control flood his body.

 

He seizes violently against the cold rock ground, unconscious now, eyes rolled back as he thrashes. ki explodes in shock waves from him and he wakes up minutes later on hard glassed sand and notices a few small foreign shrubs still in flames. He looks down at his arm and watches blood seep from the edges and steam as it hits the white hot metal. And he cries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys, just. Wow. This took way too long and I'm sorry. But you know what? Smut. A reward to all you v/g fans for sticking with it this far. TBHHHH I had like //twelve// pages on Bra seeking Goten out and basically being like, #teambestfriend but then i was like, nah. This. This is right. So after long last, here it is.
> 
> also just as a side note, Trunks and Pan got married, divorced and remarried. To each other. Obviously.
> 
> Sometime early next year I'm going to re post this here and on AFF after being properly edited, synthesized with Affair and adding a couple deleted scenes (and maybe, maybe not completely rewriting ch 39 which was lazy AF). But for now, oof. It's complete and I need a break. I got other projects to work on. ... THANKS SO MUCH for your comments, critiques and Kudos. Ya'll have been amazing on this undrafted horrorshow of a fic.


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